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A recent study conducted by researcher Steven Follows showed that the average duration of widely released feature films has significantly increased over past decades, rising from approximately 106 minutes in the 1990s and early 2000s to 114 minutes in recent years.
Significant Increase in Duration of Action Films and Big Budgets
The study indicated that films with huge budgets exceeding $100 million tend to be longer than the overall average, with the average length of action films reaching 128 minutes—an increase of 25 minutes compared to previous decades. Additionally, the percentage of films exceeding two hours in length rose from 14% in the 1980s to 32% in the current decade.
Impact of Film Franchises and Audience Demand
Researcher Follows attributes this increase partly to the popularity of film franchises such as Marvel, Mission: Impossible, and Fast & Furious, whose recent releases have set record running times. However, many non-franchise films have also surpassed the two-hour mark, including Project Hail Mary at 156 minutes, Dune: Part Two at 166 minutes, and Oppenheimer at 180 minutes.
This increase in film length is believed to reflect studios’ desire to present movies as major cinematic events, especially with the spread of theaters featuring premium formats like IMAX, alongside audience acceptance—particularly among younger viewers—to watch longer films if they offer valuable content.
Balancing Length and Engagement
Nevertheless, many classic films that achieved great success maintain runtimes close to two hours, such as Back to the Future, Jaws, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, underscoring the importance of balancing film length with the ability to sustain viewer interest.
It is also noted that advertisements and previews before the film have become longer, lasting between 20 to 30 minutes, which increases the total time audiences spend in cinemas.
This news has been re-edited based on a report published by hollywoodreporter.com, while preserving the core facts presented in the source.
