A recent study conducted by Talker Research has revealed that the “ideal” duration of a film for American audiences is 92 minutes. This result was obtained from an online survey in which 2,000 people participated during the month of April. Although only 15% of those surveyed consider films that exceed two hours acceptableand a scant 2% feel comfortable with films that exceed 150 minutes, this preference for shorter films contrasts significantly with current film trends, where large productions tend to last much longer.
Nine of the ten highest-grossing films last around three hours
This finding is particularly interesting when contrasted with the commercial reality of today’s cinema, where the highest-grossing films tend to greatly exceed 92 minutes. In fact, nine of the ten highest-grossing movies of all time are over two hours long, including hits like Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Sense of Water, Oppenheimer either Titaniceach with durations that exceed three hours. This discrepancy raises questions about the correlation between a film’s length and its box office success, suggesting that perhaps audiences’ expectations may be different from their actual viewing behaviors.
Longer and longer films succeed
For example, the research of What to Watch reveals that the average duration of the most commercially successful films has increased, from 110 minutes in 1981 to 141 minutes in 2022. This increase could be attributed to several factors, including the ability of streaming platforms to free themselves from schedules rigidities of movie theaters and the tendency to use expensive visual effects and prolonged action sequences, which have become more common in the last decade.
