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After editing, most movies end up with a similar run time, which is to be expected. After all, we as audience members can’t be expected to pay a ticket for a five minute movie, or to sit through an eight hour epic without breaks. Yet, some movies do end up on the lengthy side of the spectrum, and not everyone can stay hooked for that long.
Among the most challenged to sit through such ordeals, are the elderly. Not because they can’t understand the film, but because they need more frequent breaks than most of us; age takes its toll, after all. These films aren’t bad by any means, but they are better seen from the comfort of home, rather than at the cinema.
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The Brutalist
Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist immediately became known for its massive runtime, complete with an actual intermission during some screenings. At well over three hours long, it practically dares audiences to prove their attention span still exists.
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Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon runs well past the three-hour mark while telling a slow-burning historical crime story. Even many fans admitted they needed strategic snack planning before sitting through the entire experience.
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Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer packed physics, politics, hearings, and existential dread into a three-hour biographical epic. Despite massive success, some viewers joked they needed a college lecture schedule just to mentally prepare for the runtime.
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The Irishman
Clocking in at over three and a half hours, The Irishman became one of Netflix’s biggest “I’ll finish it later” movies. The de-aging technology discussions almost competed with conversations about how long the film actually felt.
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Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron’s sequel spends enormous amounts of time exploring Pandora’s oceans and visual spectacle. Even audiences impressed by the effects often joked they felt like they physically aged alongside the characters during the marathon runtime.
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League
At four hours long, Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League feels less like a movie and more like an entire television miniseries glued together. Fans celebrated it, while others wondered whether bathroom breaks counted as intermissions.
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Lawrence of Arabia
David Lean’s desert epic remains legendary not only for its scale but also for its intimidating runtime. Watching it in one sitting still feels like a cinematic endurance challenge, especially for modern audiences raised on shorter entertainment.
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Ben-Hur
The 1959 version of Ben-Hur runs for well over three hours and includes an overture and intermission. It remains one of the classic examples of Hollywood epics that truly committed to exhausting viewers through sheer scale.
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Gone with the Wind
Despite being one of Hollywood’s most famous classics, Gone with the Wind is famously enormous in length. Between romance, war, reconstruction, and melodrama, the movie practically becomes a full-day historical event.
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Once Upon a Time in America
Sergio Leone’s crime epic stretches close to four hours in its longest version, unfolding slowly across decades of betrayal and regret. Its deliberate pacing makes it critically respected but undeniably demanding for casual movie nights.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
The theatrical cut already pushed audiences past three hours, but the extended edition goes even further. By the multiple endings, even devoted fantasy fans sometimes start mentally preparing for retirement before the credits finally arrive.
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Babylon
Damien Chazelle’s Babylon runs over three hours while throwing nonstop chaos, excess, and Hollywood decadence at viewers. The movie’s exhausting energy became part of the experience, especially during its loud and relentless party sequences.
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Beau Is Afraid
Ari Aster’s surreal anxiety nightmare stretches close to three hours and often feels even longer because of its intentionally uncomfortable pacing. Watching it becomes less of a casual movie night and more of an emotional endurance experiment.
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King Kong (2005)
Peter Jackson’s remake spends so much time building toward Skull Island that audiences sometimes joke the movie contains three separate films stitched together. Once the dinosaurs appear, viewers are already deep into a marathon-length commitment.
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Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Frequently cited as one of the greatest films ever made, Jeanne Dielman also has a reputation for testing patience. Its nearly three-and-a-half-hour runtime focuses heavily on repetitive daily routines and extremely deliberate pacing.
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