U2 were committed to preserving the film 's 3D format and decided to only release it in digital 3D . To help promote this film format , '' U2 3D '' was first screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on May 19 , 2007 . It was one of nine films to be screened out-of-competition at the 2007 festival , and was the first live-action 3D film shown at Cannes . Following a brief song performance by U2 at the festival , the film was screened at midnight inside the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès . At the time , the 3D post-production process was incomplete ; therefore , a shortened , 56-minute version of the title was screened , featuring nine of the completed version 's 14 songs . The completed version premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival on January 19 , 2008 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre . The theater incorporated a customized sound system designed especially for the premiere with new Dolby 3D technology , which John Modell referred to as " the most high tech film screening that 's ever been done in history . " '' U2 3D '' was slated to be screened only in IMAX theaters , but the large increase in the number of digital 3D theaters following post-production prompted the filmmakers to expand the release to include those cinemas . Two different types of polarized 3D glasses were used for the IMAX 3D and digital 3D showings . The IMAX 3D version of the film used glasses with one lens polarized horizontally and one polarized vertically , while the digital 3D version used glasses with two circularly polarized lenses . John Modell described the IMAX version as a " more immersive experience " , and stated that the digital 3D version features more vivid colors
2008 Sundance Film Festival
2008 Sundance Film Festival
U2 3D