Long gone are the days of the 90-minute movie, with even the likes of fast-paced comedies and children's movies now often pushing past 2 hours. While it is possible to hunt out movies on the shorter side, franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings need their movies to have long run times to fit in the detailed plots, a large number of characters, and long, perilous journeys.
Many directors are also known for producing movies that keep audiences in their seats for 180 minutes or more. The likes of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan are known for creating lengthy movies due to their in-depth explorations of characters, intense situations, and diving into the concept of time.
10 The Irishman Dropped on Netflix At 209 Minutes.
Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring his frequent colleagues Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, the 2019 biographical drama comes in at 3 hours and 29 minutes. De Niro plays hitman Frank Sheeran who recalls his time caught up with the crime family the Bufalinos and working for Jimmy Hoffa, an influential teamster. The film, which featured complex de-aging technology that piqued the interest of viewers, is Scorsese's longest movie yet and received critical acclaim, earning 10 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards.
9 Drive My Car Is A Long Drive At 179 Minutes
Coming in just one minute shy of 3 hours, Drive My Car is the Academy Award-winning drama from director and writer Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The film follows an actor/director who attempts to regain control of his life following the death of his wife. When he is given the opportunity to direct a production of Uncle Vanya, the protagonist, Yūsuke Kafuku, is reluctantly chauffeured in his car by a young driver. The film has received international acclaim, winning three awards at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and earning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
8 The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King Ended The Trilogy At 201 Minutes
In a trilogy of long-running movies, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, is the final movie and the longest of them all, coming in at 3 hours and 21 minutes (with the director's cut adding an extra 51 minutes). Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novel, the movie continues Frodo and Sam's journey to destroy the One Ring as the rest of the ensemble prepares to go up against Sauron. Like the other two movies in the franchise, The Return of the King received critical acclaim and was loved by fans, being widely considered one of the best and most groundbreaking fantasy movies of all time.
7 Schindler's List Has Moved Audiences Since It Was Released
Steven Spielberg's 1993 historical drama centered on the Holocaust, Schindler's List comes in at 3 hours 15 minutes and uses every single second of its run time to tell its equally heartbreaking and heartwarming story.
The movie follows a German Industrialist, Oskar Schindler who used his money and influence to help save thousands of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust in World War II. Schindler's List is one of the most well-reviewed and critically acclaimed movies of all time, garnering countless accolades including seven Academy Awards and three Golden Globes.
6 Avengers: Endgame's 183 Minutes Was The End Of An Era
Avengers: Endgame is the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe epic that concluded the Infinity Saga. Coming in at 3 hours and 3 minutes, Endgame is the longest-running movie in MCU history. The film brings together many beloved characters from across the entire franchise and sees them fight alongside each other against Thanos, something that brought fans of the franchise a lot of joy. Endgame provided viewers with some of the most iconic and heartbreaking moments in the entire MCU and is now one of the most successful movies of all time.
5 The Godfather II Continues The Acclaimed Story At 202 Minutes
The second installment in Francis Ford Coppola's epic crime trilogy The Godfather Part II, is both a sequel and a prequel to the first movie, following two periods of the Corleone family. Its 3 hours 22 minutes runtime follows Michael Corleone as he protects his family in the 1950s, while the other timeline follows his father Vito Corleone as he grows up in Sicily and slowly builds his empire. As with The Godfather, this film was critically well-received and became the first movie sequel to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The movie earns every second of its run time and is considered, in many ways, better than its predecessor.
4 At 242 Minutes, Zack Snyder's Justice League Received More Acclaim Than The Original Cut
For many, reasons, the 2017 Justice League movie was something of a flop. The accusations that came out about Joss Whedon's behavior on set, as he took over from Snyder as the uncredited director of the movie, and his vision for the film, were a huge part of that.
In 2021, Zack Snyder released a cut of the movie as he wished it to be before he left the project. Coming in at 4 hours 2 minutes, the Snyder Cut showed a longer, more in-depth, but better-developed and more enjoyable version of the movie that was so much better received by fans than the original cut.
3 Every Second Of Titanic's 194 Minute Runtime Is Loved By Many Generations
Despite its lengthy 3 hours 14-minute run time, James Cameron's Titanic is one of the most beloved love stories ever told on screen. The movie, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, follows an ill-fated romance between the wealthy Rose Dewitt Buckater and the poor artist Jack Dawson who meet and fall in love while on the doomed ship. Titanic is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, with its run time not stopping fans from rewatching or new generations from discovering the movie and falling in love.
2 The Wolf of Wall Street Divided Audiences For 180 Minutes
The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy biographical movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, that recounts American entrepreneur Jordan Belfort's career as a stockbroker in New York. Leonardo DiCaprio was on board to portray Belfort from the beginning, and his portrayal of the stockbroker is considered by many to be one of his best performances on screen. The film gained some backlash due to its portrayals of drug use and its extreme use of profanity, but it received favorable reviews overall. The movie took home many award nominations and won DiCaprio a Golden Globe.
1 The Batman Gave New Life To The DC Hero In 176 Minutes
The latest take on the Dark Knight, The Batman is one of the best-received movies of 2022. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, The Batman gave fans a darker, gritter view of Bruce Wayne's first few years behind the mask. Following Wayne as he goes up against Paul Dano's brilliant Riddler with the help of Zoe Kravtiz's Catwoman, the movie's 176 minutes run time kept both DC fans and those new to the genre gripped to the edges of their seats and leaving the movie theater hoping to see more from Pattinson's version of the character.