I finally got to see Interstellar this weekend. While it was a great movie, don’t get me wrong, it was a damn long movie as well. To be fair, while I was watching it I barely noticed how much time was passing, but it was still an almost three hour stretch of sitting in one place.
This got me thinking, how long is too long when it comes to movies? Obviously, we all have different attention spans, and different movies are going to keep us interested for different lengths. Interstellar had me hooked, and thankfully I was watching it at home on a comfortable couch. But with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I wasn’t able to sit in a cinema for that long. Never mind the fact that you’ll run out of popcorn and need a bathroom break (or two, depending on the size of the Slush Puppie), cinema seats can get pretty uncomfortable.
So have you ever been put off a movie by its running time alone? Do you balk at spending two, three or more hours in the cinema and wait for the longer movies to come to TV, or is running time something you don’t even consider when it comes to deciding which movie to watch?
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: April 15, 2015
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 15, 2015 at 10:37
No movie you’re enjoying is too long. I’ll check movie run times before I start watching one during the week though, I need my beauty sleep.
RinceThis
April 15, 2015 at 11:37
Where’s the beauty? *RUNS
Blood Emperor Trevor
April 15, 2015 at 12:41
BEHIND YOU!
RinceThis
April 15, 2015 at 12:48
GAHH! Damn you!
Hybrid
April 15, 2015 at 11:01
Anything longer than 2.5 Hrs it starts getting uncomfortable for me then I’ll rather wait to watch to movie at home. The last 3Hr movie I watched was the last lord of the rings and I swore never again.
RinceThis
April 15, 2015 at 11:38
I think this is a general issue with this new generation. People’s attention spans have decreased over the past few years. Now they demand a ‘Crank’ level of stimulation in order to sit still. Can you imagine Ben Hurr at it’s length being popular these days? No chance.
Hybrid
April 15, 2015 at 12:38
For me it is not an attention span problem more of an issue that my ass can’t take it. If I had buns of steel I would watch a 10hr movie but after like 2.5hrs my butt and that chair aren’t on friendly terms anymore
Kervyn Cloete
April 15, 2015 at 11:59
Doesn’t factor into my choice of movie one bit. If it’s good, it doesn’t matter what the running time is.
Sgt. M
April 15, 2015 at 13:10
For someone like me, and I sincerely hope there are others, who reads novels and sometimes academic articles, sitting through a three hour movie is nothing. I do however prefer to do it from the couch or bed instead of a cinema as there are the perks like pausing for bathroom breaks and snack restocking. A good movie will take it’s time to tell a good story and keep a good pace. Nothing worse, in a movie sense, like a rushed ending.
Her Highness the Hipster
April 15, 2015 at 13:55
i came here for the wrong reason… i’ll leave now 😛
Tracy Benson
April 15, 2015 at 15:42
Haha! Only after I posted it did I realise the double entendre in the headline
Cat
April 16, 2015 at 12:25
Dirty dirty dirty… :p