Why are Movies Getting So Much Longer?

 by Victoria de Bruijn

Although it is unfair to claim that movies are lengthening - as indie projects are continuing to be released at varying lengths, in the last year, 'The Batman', 'Dune', 'James Bond – No Time to Die' and two marvel movies have been released with run times standing close to 3 hours. Sarah Atkinson, professor of screen media at King's College London, stated in her interview with the guardian that blockbuster movies are getting longer, claiming movies are becoming known for their length as well as their plot. The principal reasons for this change in cinema largely revolve around Disney and their overwhelming popularity. 

Through each blockbuster release, Disney aims to instil both a sense of community and fear of missing out within viewers (causing a ‘must-attend’ event) and, as a result, they earn a record-breaking amount at the box office. 2015’s Star Wars ‘The Force Awakens’ was arguably the first movie to be made and advertised as a ‘must-attend’ event thus becoming fourth highest-grossing movie of all time as of 2022. Despite only being 2 hours and 16 minutes long - not an official departure from the norm, the film is crucial due to its marketing; it was the return of Star Wars, at an epic and unparalleled scale – with a higher budget, better technology, and grander scope. Disney noticed that ‘The Force Awakens’ was an endorsed pitch, which enlarged its success, and the growing popularity of their Marvel cinematic universe, so realised the potential of mass-producing event movies. However, an event movie naturally lends to a longer run time. Their most considerable success was the two-part Avengers movies, 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame', which were the fifth and second highest-grossing movies of all time; the former with a run-time of 2 hours and 30 minutes and the latter exceeding three hours. Competitors became eager to recreate this success, so other blockbusters, such as the new James Bond and Jurassic World, are being released at longer runt-times than any of their previous installations. 

Disney produces films they can be sure will reach numerous people, not necessarily making films that people want to see. Although a seemingly odd distinction, it leads to a risk-averse line of blockbuster movies so is essential. For example, Disney is aware that marvel installations have a widespread pop-culture appeal, so they can afford to rapidly generate three-hour-long movies. In addition, Disney knows they can afford a high-budget 3-hour Spiderman movie because the public already know and love Spiderman – fabricating extended films with an original character comes with much greater risk. Consider Disney's wealth of intellectual property, with most of Marvel Comics, the Star Wars universe, their entire animated catalogue and many more. In fact, Disney has over 2225 active patents worldwide, with enough stories and characters to produce thousands of hours of content. 

Perhaps most nefariously, Disney has the ability to use their movies' long run-times and event-like nature to manipulate cinemas into prioritising Disney and their success. Cinema use has been declining since before the pandemic, with the lockdown escalating their already seemingly imminent demise. Fortunately, Disney's event movies are the most reliable source of ticket purchases for these cinemas, and Disney ensures they are filled with screenings of their latest blockbuster. Cinerama Dome made a deal to play 'The Hateful Eight' exclusively for two weeks, after having Star Wars the two week prior; however, having seen Star Wars' success, Disney wanted the next two weeks too. After the Cinerama Dome refused, Disney told the owner 'Arclight' that if they did not show Star Wars through these extra two weeks, they would pull the movie from all Arclight cinemas. Cinemas had no choice but to fold to Disney's whims. Disney not only had more showings to increase blockbuster revenue but also attacked its competitors. Naturally, Disney's event movie had more success and an increased interest in retaining the model and, by extension, longer run times. 

Overall, Disney is pushing the extension of movie run times through the rise of the event move, the power of intellectual property and the manipulation of cinemas. Films are becoming large events, with high marketing investment, to guide viewers into perceiving movies as ‘must-attend’ events. Furthermore, the run time of sequels is increasing due to the revenue security and Disney - a frontrunner in long movies - can use their success to continue the cycle.