For some hoi polloi , a 3 - ish - time of day runtime is an automatic mark against a movie — particularly if they ’re sitting in a theater with no probability to press ‘ pause ’ for a lav break . For other the great unwashed , an especially farseeing runtime might help oneself apologize the time and money ask for a picture theater expedition in the first place . And asCNN explains , it is the massive franchise spectacles andsuperhero films — the types of movies that do well at thebox office — that seem to be trending longer these solar day .
That tell , lengthy flick are nothing new . OnRotten Tomatoes ’ listof skilful movies that run 3 hours or recollective , 33 of the top 50 were relinquish before the year 2000 . The first - place closer , Akira Kurosawa ’s 207 - minute epicSeven Samurai , premier in 1954 . Other classic heroic poem that made the list includeLawrence of Arabia(1962),Spartacus(1960),Ben - Hur(1959 ) , andGone With the Wind(1939 ) .
Kurosawa is far from the only internationally acclaimed conductor known for prolonged cut . In third place is Ingmar Bergman ’s 1982 period dramaFanny and Alexander , which clocks in at 188 minutes ( and a 512 - minute version air as aminiseriesin Sweden ) . Martin Scorsese , Francis Ford Coppola , Stanley Kubrick , and David Lean all have two picture apiece in the top 50 .
The climax of a couple beloved movie enfranchisement collect enough critical kudos to outrank high up as well — namely , 2019’sAvengers : Endgameand 2003’sThe Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King . And it would n’t be much of a tilt of long moving picture ifTitanicwasn’t on it somewhere : The 1997 tonic culture phenomenon occur in 35th place .
See if your favorite flick made the top 50 below , and check outRotten Tomatoes ’ full 100 here .
