Marvel Studios has never been confused for a studio that makes short films. Most of the MCU output thus far has easily clocked in over 2 hours, especially with the studio’s three previous ‘Avengers’ films. And according to the directors of “Avengers: Endgame,” Marvel Studios might go even longer with the newest film, clocking in at 3 hours.
When asked by Collider where the film’s run-time sits currently, director Joe Russo said, “We’re still at the three-hour mark.” He was then asked about if Marvel Studios and Disney would be okay with the Russos turning in a 3-hour film. Joe Russo replied:
“I think the studio is down with what the best story is. Right now, we think the movie is playing well and we’ve had great responses from our test audiences and we’re feeling very good about where it is. We’re still doing work to it. We’re not done with it. Again, this is a culmination film of 22 movies, it’s a lot of storytelling to work into it. Emotion is an intrinsic part of that to us. When you have to tell a really complicated story and you want strong emotional moments with the characters, it just requires a certain amount of real estate. This one, in particular, feels like three hours worth of real estate.”
Now, there are multiple reasons that Disney might not be amped on a 3-hour ‘Avengers’ film. One of the complaints about the last film, ‘Infinity War,’ is the film’s length, as it felt like a whole lot of movie. And while it didn’t drag, that film’s 2-hour and 40-minute run-time was pushing the limits. So, from a creative perspective, 3 hours is a big ask nowadays for an audience.
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When this was brought up, director Anthony Russo said, “We have screened the movie four times for audiences now. For the first three screenings, not a single person got up to go to the bathroom.”
The other major fact that goes into a 3-hour run-time is the number of screenings a theater can show in any given day, which affects the box office bottom line. Fewer screenings (due to a long film) means fewer tickets sold, which means less money overall. But again, maybe Disney isn’t so worried about this, considering ‘Endgame’ might very well be the most-anticipated film of the year for 90% of the moviegoing audience. They’ll see it regardless.
We’ll find out if 3-hours is a fitting length when “Avengers: Endgame” is released on April 26.