Time is relative, especially when sitting in a darkened movie theater. As more 2023 new movie releases arrive, we’re starting to see more cases of movies coming close to, if not exceeding, three hours. The impending release of Beau Is Afraid, as well as this summer’s Oppenheimer and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, have either been confirmed or rumored to be lengthy experiences, with some parties preparing to say that this prospect is uncalled for. However, after John Wick: Chapter 4’s epic finale, I’m now even more inclined than ever to defend longer movies in theaters.
In Defense Of The Longer Theatrical Movie Experience
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert made the definitive statement on how long a movie should run. You may have already read this, as it's an oft-repeated phrase when it comes to discussing the cinematic experience. Still, this simple premise covers all scenarios and genres, boiling it all down to the following statement that should be hung above any movie theater's entrance:
No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.
As a younger moviegoer in the late '90s/early '00s, the promise of a three-hour movie was exciting to me. With the right movie, you were basically getting more of a good thing; a methodology that Hollywood would resurrect with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When the story is right, and the film in question requires it, a more expansive running time can tell a sweeping story that just isn’t done justice by a more “theatrically friendly” timeframe.
Ridley Scott would later provide another perfect case study into this phenomenon thanks to 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven. As a theatrical experience, the movie was panned in its almost two and a half hour form. However, attitudes towards Scott’s Orlando Bloom starring epic would change when the home video release restored the director’s vision to an over-three-hour epic. Attitudes towards long movies seem to be changing in Hollywood, and John Wick: Chapter 4 is the latest proof that such a movie can succeed.
John Wick: Chapter 4 May Have Altered Its Franchise Plans, Through One Longer Movie
Originally, the John Wick saga planned to have its fourth and fifth chapters in production, back to back. Those plans eventually were reduced to one film, which came in at just under three hours. This is still a lesson in restraint, as director Chad Stahelski admitted that John Wick: Chapter 4 ran for almost four hours in its first cut.
My theory on why this fourth John Wick film ran as long as it did is because of the supposedly canceled production of the fifth chapter. Instead of delivering a pair of two-hour movies that closed out this saga, I think those two stories were condensed into one super-sized sequel that kept all the best bits.
Ditching a plan for two good sequels to produce one great follow-up is a solid move, especially when the powers-that-be weren’t scared off from an almost-three-hour running time. If this is indeed Mr. Wick’s last dance, then John Wick: Chapter 4’s ambiguous ending still packs a pretty powerful punch, all thanks to potentially condensing two decent scripts into one solid adventure.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Already Proved Epic Length Blockbusters Still Make Money
John Wick is only the latest big ticket franchise that’s dared to dream in great fashion. Thanks to Chapter 4’s impressive opening weekend setting records for the series, there’s still ample evidence that people will flock to the right movie, running time be damned. Avatar: The Way of Water has also proven that point, but if any title has made the best case for seemingly lengthy blockbusters making massive bank, Avengers: Endgame is probably the flick that takes the cake.
Running slightly over three hours, Marvel Studios’ 2019 record-breaker found itself temporarily at the head of the box office pack as the highest grossing film ever. While Avatar reclaimed its crown in 2021, Kevin Feige and his crew proved that the right pop culture catnip could propel a film to the top of the list.
Admittedly the business end of things has made longer movies seem out of fashion. With fewer showtimes available, one could assume that becoming a profitable venture would be a more uphill battle. Avengers: Endgame dispelled that notion, paving the way for Avatar: The Way of Water’s three hour and 12 minute run to cement this case once more.
Binge Culture Has Already Prepared Audiences For Larger Movie Experiences
It’s only fitting that Avatar 2 brings us to the final point in the defense of movies like John Wick: Chapter 4 running so long in the tooth. Not only has James Cameron proven with box office results that moviegoers will go to see a story that runs past that mythologically dangerous three-hour mark, but he’s cited exactly why it works. In Cameron’s previous defense of Avatar: The Way of Water’s length, the director claimed that binge culture has already prepared people for an extended narrative.
I’m inclined to believe he’s correct in that claim. While theatrical viewing is different from a more pause button-friendly home experience, a three-hour and change movie is still comparatively easy to a handful of episodes from any streaming series. Not to mention, you aren’t constantly sitting through opening themes and credits in a movie like John Wick 4.
The world is ready to return to longer showtimes at the movies, and John Wick: Chapter 4’s success has only proven it. Studios and creatives alike should leave themselves open to where a larger sized cinematic experience can take them. This shouldn’t be a call to be heeded by merely pre-existing I.P. either, as new and creative concepts could find proper footing with the right length. Maybe instead of allowing circumstances to leave fans clamoring for a Snyder Cut-style scenario for movies that have longer cuts waiting for release, we can start to let projects unfold as they're intended, through supersized showtimes.
If you want to test drive this concept for yourself, you can do just that through a screening of John Wick: Chapter 4, which is still currently in theaters. Or, if you’re lucky enough, you might be able to still catch Avatar: The Way of Water at the movies. Just check your local listings to be sure before you head out, and remember to pace your bladder and snackage accordingly.
