Netflix’s 2024 releases are wide-ranging when it comes to genres and topics, however, in this week’s Top Ten, a bunch of the films have something in common: they’re all around 90 minutes. If there’s one thing I love, it’s a 90-minute movie, and I’m so here for Netflix making a bunch of them.
Alright, let’s break this down. On Netflix’s Global Top 10 Films for the week of October 28 through November 3, five of the movies featured are Netflix originals that are around 90 minutes long. Those projects are as follows:
- Don’t Move is No. 1 and it’s 1 hr. 32 mins.
- Time Cut is No. 2 and it’s 1 hr. 32 mins.
- Hijack ‘93 is No. 3 and it’s 1 hr. 27 mins.
- Woman of the Hour is No. 5 and it’s 1 hr. 36 mins.
- Lonely Planet is No. 9 and it’s 1 hr. 36 mins.
Notably, Lonely Planet has been in the Top 10 for four weeks, Woman of the Hour has been there for three, Don’t Move and Hijack ‘93 have two weeks under their belts and Time Cut is at one week.
I’d also like to point out that all these movies are wildly different too. Don’t Movie is a thriller starring Kelsey Asbille and Woman of the Hour is a terrifying true crime flick directed by Anna Kendrick. Meanwhile, Hijack ‘93 is about a drama about a real airborne hostage negotiation while Time Cut is a fantastical YA movie about time travel set in the early 2000s. To really hammer this point home, Lonely Planet is a romance starring Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth.
Odds are, all these loved Netflix movies draw in very different audiences. However, there’s something to be said about the fact that they all fall within the range of a solid 90-minute movie.
In recent years, when it’s announced that a runtime is three hours or more, I feel like moviegoers let out a collective sigh as they brace themselves for the long haul. Personally, I had this reaction to Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (3 hr. 1 min.), Killers of the Flower Moon (3 hr. 26 mins.) and Avatar: The Way of Water (3 hr. 12 mins.) in recent years. And I’d be lying if I said the runtime didn’t play into part of the reason why I disliked these films. When I watch a movie, I’m not looking for a mini-series, I want something that isn’t time-consuming, and that’s part of the reason why hour-and-a-half-long films rule.
Plus, there’s something to be said about the value of concise storytelling. If you can make a film with very little fluff that moves smoothly and tells a meaningful story in 90 minutes, you have something special. I mean, some of the best movies are 90 minutes. From Airplane! to Toy Story to When Harry Met Sally… there are countless examples of masterful shorter films.
Along with the aforementioned Netflix originals that are currently trending, there are quite a few other films that are right around an hour and a half that have cracked the top ten over the last few months too. From The Secret Life of Pets to Venom: Let There Be Carnage to Kung Fu Panda 4, clearly – whether it's conscious or not – viewers are fans of shorter films.
I can’t blame them either. After a long day of work or being out and about, winding down with a movie is always nice. However, a lot of the time, it doesn't make sense to commit to a long film. And quite frankly, it can be hard to pay attention for that long, especially when I haven't braced myself for something that is over two hours. So, I’m always checking the runtime to find something short and sweet to fill the small amount of free time I have.
Obviously, I can get on board with any movie of any length if it’s good. However, on the day-to-day, 90 minutes is perfect, and I thank Netflix for releasing quite a few of them in the last month! Now, let's hope they keep this up and make it a trend.
To watch Don’t Move, Time Cut, Hijack ‘93, Woman of the Hour and Lonely Planet, all you need is a Netflix subscription and roughly 90 minutes of free time.
