Films are getting longer, from big-budget Hollywood blockbusters to independent dramas, according to an Associated Press report. Researcher Stephen Follows analyzed 36,431 films released in cinemas between 1980 and 2025, finding that the average runtime of a wide-release movie had increased from 106 minutes to 114 minutes.
Some of the biggest releases are pushing well beyond the two-and-a-half-hour mark. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey runs for 173 minutes, while La Bola Negra lasts 159 minutes and You Can See Everything runs for 174 minutes. The upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is also set to be the longest film in its franchise, with a runtime of 158 minutes.
Despite concerns that lengthy films might put audiences off, longer runtimes do not appear to be damaging box-office performance. In fact, extended films can become part of the attraction, offering audiences a cinematic event that feels worth leaving home for. With streaming services making it easier to watch films on large screens at home, studios are increasingly relying on ambitious, big-screen experiences to encourage people back into cinemas.
However, the trend has created challenges for film festivals, where longer screenings make it harder to fit films into schedules. Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, has noted that films lasting two hours and 15 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes have become increasingly common. He has also suggested that some films would benefit from being shortened by 10 to 20 minutes.
Filmmakers remain divided over whether longer is necessarily better. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo argue that extended runtimes can enhance the cinematic experience when the story justifies them, while Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi embraces slower storytelling in a film lasting 197 minutes. Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski takes the opposite approach, favouring brevity: his latest film, Fatherland, runs for just 82 minutes. Ultimately, the debate comes down to whether a film earns its length through compelling storytelling.
