In 2030, a blockbuster will last an average of eight hours. At least that’s how it seems when you look at the development in the length of films: Avatar 2: The Way of Water is three hours and 12 minutes, Dune: Part Two is two hours and 46 minutes. Martin Scorsese required viewers to sit for almost three and a half hours with Killers of the Flower Moon. Way too long, as US researchers now claim to have found out.
US researchers have determined the perfect film length: What does that mean?
As the Guardian reports, a US study in April of this year asked 2,000 participants about their preferred film length. This came out: 92 minutes is the perfect running time for most of it. 15 percent feel comfortable with over 120 minutes, only two percent with more than 150 minutes.
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Should James Cameron have cut Avatar 2 in half?
Looking at current cinema blockbusters, the result is bizarre. According to the Guardian analysis, nine out of ten of the most successful films of all time are more than 120 minutes long, some last over three hours. Why is that?
As Variety suspects, effects and streaming contribute to the length of films. Apparently, impressive special effects attract a particularly large number of viewers to the cinemas and take up time for elaborate scenes. The streaming competition is also not tied to screening times and can therefore give filmmakers more leeway when it comes to film length. But are such processes even necessary given the results of the study?
No one can be certain whether the connection between the success and length of a blockbuster is based on causality or correlation. Do audiences love films that are long? Apparently. But does she love it too, because are they long? The study suggests: no. The majority would have preferred to watch Avatar 2 or Dune 2 or Avengers 4: Endgame in an hour and a half. Whether they would still have the same effect is another question.
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Podcast: The best streaming films so far in 2024 on Netflix, Amazon and Co.
We’re taking a first look back at the streaming year 2024 and introducing you to the five best streaming films that have been released on Netflix, Amazon and Co. to date.
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Tough fighting action from Germany, a thoughtful science fiction adventure with Adam Sandler and new films from three great directors: There have already been some strong films to discover in the streaming sector this year.