The Era of the Epic: Why Modern Movies Are Getting Longer
Data confirms movie runtimes are ballooning. From blockbusters to art house, discover why longer films are becoming the new standard for cinema audiences.
POLICY WIRE — New York, USA — If you have noticed that your recent trips to the cinema require more endurance, you are not imagining it. Data confirms that films are steadily increasing in length, with the average wide-release movie growing from 106 minutes in 1980 to 114 minutes today, according to research by Stephen Follows.
This trend toward longer runtimes spans the entire industry, from massive spectacles to intimate dramas. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, for instance, clocks in at 173 minutes, yet it has managed to secure $1.8 billion in global ticket sales. Industry experts suggest that in an age of high-quality home streaming, theaters are leaning into longer, event-style experiences to justify the cost of a ticket.
Not all filmmakers are embracing the shift toward three-hour runtimes. Directors like Paweł Pawlikowski continue to prioritize brevity, arguing that modern films often suffer from bloated narratives and excessive endings. Meanwhile, others like Ryusuke Hamaguchi maintain that longer runtimes are necessary to capture the natural, human-scaled rhythms of life, as seen in his 197-minute film All of a Sudden.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
