SPHERE OF FAILURE: U2 Concert Film is Vegas Orb’s First Flop

Posted on: September 8, 2024, 02:11h. 

Last updated on: September 8, 2024, 09:06h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

Soft ticket sales for the newly debuted concert film of U2’s recent Sphere residency, playing exclusively at the spherical Vegas venue, appear to demonstrate that fans of the Gen-X-centric Irish band do not want to see a U2 concert without U2 in the building with them.

Fans of U2 were willing to spend $300 to $9,000 to watch the Irish band in concert, but $100-$200 for a movie of it appears to be asking too much. (Image: Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority)

So far, “V-U2” — co-directed by U2 guitarist Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg — looks like the very first Sphere entertainment offering to fall on its face.

These screengrabs, taken at 11 a.m. Sunday, show far more tickets available (shown as blue dots) for the same day’s 2 p.m. screening of “V-U2” (above) than for the 11:30 a.m. Sunday screening of Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard from Earth,” which has been playing since last October. (Image: Ticketmaster)

Though Thursday’s premiere sold out its tickets to diehard fans, at least 75 percent of its seats were still available when Saturday’s screening began and, as of 11 a.m. Sunday, more than 90 percent could still be purchased for the same day’s 2 p.m. showing.

Of course, all this probably proves is how few people want to see a U2 concert film at $100-$200 a ticket. The Sphere can still fill those seats, but will need to lower their prices to do so.

Though it’s been shown hundreds of times since last October, Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard from Earth” is still doing better business than “V-U2,” as demonstrated by the Ticketmaster screengrabs at right. And that movie still commands $100-$280 a seat.

“Fans came from all over the world to see the concert and spent a bucketload doing so,” Australian fan Austin Docherty offered his explanation for the film’s reception on a Facebook U2 fan group. “We can’t afford the same for a video of a concert.”

‘Last Showgirl’ Showing

In other Las Vegas cinema news, “The Last Showgirl” premiered on Friday at the Toronto Film Festival. That’s the dark indie movie we told you about in May filmed by Gia Coppola (Francis Ford’s granddaughter and Sofia’s niece) in Las Vegas last year.

Pamela Anderson stars as Shelley, a 50something showgirl who faces the loss of her career, and self worth, as the Strip’s final showgirl production closes around her. Supporting Anderson is Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a former showgirl now making ends meet as a cocktail waitress.

Pamela Anderson’s character in “The Last Showgirl” contemplates her future on the roof of either the Palms or Rio. (Image: Toronto Film Festival)

While box office figures are obviously not yet available, early reviews are mixed.

“This is Anderson’s moment to shine,” raved “Deadline,” “and, boy does she ever shine — right up to an ending that leaves us hopeful.”

“The Hollywood Reporter” agreed that the Anderson “mines pathos” and “moving empathy.” However, it noted that the film “feels slender overall.”

Finally, “The Daily Beast’s” reviewer eviscerated it, opining that “its every gesture is a pose, as affected and unrewarding as the pathetic moves that Shelley displays during a disastrous audition, and its compassion for her is, ultimately, unearned.”