Avatar: The Way of Water and Babylon are both set to clock in at over 3 hours

Last Updated on November 1, 2022

The epics are seemingly back, as not only is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever supposed to be the second-longest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie at just under 3 hours, but now two big film releases later this year are reportedly clocking in at over 3 hours. This December, James Cameron returns with a new film in 13 years with Avatar: The Way of Water. Cameron’s last two films also came in around the 3-hour mark as they explored their established worlds along with extensive set pieces.

World of Reel is now reporting that Avatar: The Way of Water will follow a similar suit as it will have a runtime of 3 hours and 10 minutes. This exceeds the first movie’s runtime by about half an hour. Similarly, the new Damien Chazelle film tribute to old Hollywood, Babylon, will have a runtime of 3 hours and 8 minutes. Chazelle’s last film, the historical moon landing film, First Man, came in at 2 hours and 21 minutes. However, Chazelle is less a blockbuster filmmaker and more of a dramatic auteur.

Lots of big-budget movies, especially summer franchise flicks, have a tendency to clock in at over 2 hours, with the longer ones pushing a half hour past the two-hour mark. Christopher Nolan is one who usually indulges a long runtime and his last effort, Tenet, came in at two hours and 30 minutes. Judd Apatow, who is known for his own brand of long comedies, once stated that he aims for his film lengths because he feels the price of movie tickets should warrant a movie experience worthy of their amounts, as most theaters charge $10 or more for premium screens.

Perhaps if the trend continues, the intermission should make a comeback. What do you think? Do you find it hard to sit through long movies?