Throughout 2024, filmmakers have released multiple movies with runtimes between two and four hours, but some of the longest films don’t warrant the audience’s extra time and attention. After the strikes of 2023, viewers went into last year with extra excitement. Some of thehighest-grossing films of 2024included Wicked, Marvel’s Wolverine & Deadpool, and Inside Out 2. In addition to offering many great original films, the year brought about many movies with runtimes above 2 hours.
Long movies are nothing new in Hollywood, but they’re historically difficult to market. This makes it impressive that nine of the ten longest films of the year released in theaters, rather than going directly to streaming. Despite this, some of the longest movies of 2024 received great fanfare and performed well at the box office. Still, a few filmmakers pushed their luck too far in 2024 by making movies that couldn’t justify their runtimes.
The Endwas left off this list because it only had a limited release in theaters in 2024, and it wasn’t released for digital or streaming.
On the lower side of the longest movies in 2024 is the biopicCabrini. The film follows the first canonized American Catholic saint, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, as she tries to establish housing and healthcare for impoverished Italian immigrants in the New York City slums. Like many biopics, this movie runs long because it covers such a large portion of Cabrini’s life, spanning three decades.
Ultimately, the 2-hour and 22-minute runtime helpsCabrinisucceed rather than hindering it.Director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde uses the longer runtime to sprinkle in foundational information about her childhood, faith, and immigration to the United States.This context explains her motivation and mentality as she goes up against sexism and xenophobia. A few moments dragged, but overall, the movie was steadily paced, using the extra time strategically to paint a detailed picture of Cabrini’s plight.
The only streaming movie to appear on the top 10 longest movies of 2024 is Tyler Perry’sDivorce in the Black. The Prime Video drama tells the story of Ava, a woman who’s given a second chance with her first love after her abusive husband decides to leave the marriage.Divorce in the Blackruns 2 hours and 23 minutes, and the length doesn’t hurt or help the drama. There’s a good reason whyDivorce in the Blackhas a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.
DespiteDivorce in the Black’s excellent cast, only the first 10 minutes of the Tyler Perry film are intriguing. The rest of the film is filled with poor dialogue, random tone shifts, stereotypes, and a frustratingly cliche ending.While some of theDivorce in the Blackscenes were unnecessary and could’ve been cut, it wouldn’t have saved the movie from abject failure with critics.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Cast
Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.
The most recent installment of thePlanet of the Apesmovie franchiseis the 2024 filmKingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Three hundred years after Caesar’s death, the movie follows a young chimpanzee named Noa and a human named Mae who try to find freedom against a tyrannical leader who distorts Caesar’s messages.
The 2-hour and 25-minute runtime forKingdom of the Planet of the Apesmight seem daunting to most moviegoers, but it isn’t out of place for the sci-fi franchise. The previous film,War for the Planet of the Apes, was only 5 minutes shorter. As such, the length isn’t a problem in and of itself, but the movie could’ve been cut down by a couple of minutes. A few scenes in the middle linger a little too long without having a dramatic impact.
Nine years afterMad Max: Fury Road’s release, Warner Bros came out with a prequel focused on the origin story of Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa. In the movie, the titular main character tries to survive and make her way back to her home after getting kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers.Furiosaruns significantly longer than the other movies in the franchise, surpassing the original by one hour.
1 hr & 25 mins
1 hr & 34 mins
1 hr & 47 mins
2 hrs
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
2 hrs & 28 mins
Unfortunately, theMad Maxprequel doesn’t justify the two-hour and 28-minute runtime. One-third of theFuriosamovie feels like exposition that could’ve been edited down significantly since much of it wasn’t integral to the plot, and the pacing could’ve been tightened up throughout the movie. Despite this, the film thrives thanks to the A+ acting, the fantastic action sequences, and the impressive visuals. It might not rise to the level ofFury Road, but Furiosa is still a great addition to the overall franchise.
The 2000 movieGladiatoris considered one of thebest historical war movies of all time, but the sequel doesn’t rise quite to the same level of success.Gladiator IIfollows Lucius Verus “Hanno” Aurelius, a man who embarks on a journey to get revenge on the Roman emperors who took over his home. The originalGladiatormovie is 2 hours and 35 minutes long, so the sequel’s 2-hour and 28-minute runtime should be acceptable at face value.
Unfortunately,the sequel isn’t nearly as compelling as the original, with multiple scenes feeling unnecessary to the overall plot. For this reason, the length is a hindrance to the overall story. Shockingly,Gladiator IIwas originally significantly longer. Ridley Scott’s first cut of the film ran 3 hours and 40 minutes long, and he brought on Gianluigi Toccafondo to help shorten the final version (viaCollider).
Eleven years after the Broadway musical debuted, the first installation in a two-partWickedmovie adaptation hit the big screens. The film tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, aka Elphaba, as she attends Shiz University alongside Glinda the Good.Wicked’s endingseparates the movies at “Defying Gravity,” the song that divides Act 1 and Act 2. Director Jon M. Chu’s decision to splitWickedinto two was controversial sincethe first movie runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than the entire Broadway musical.
However, the extra time actually benefits the story.Wickedchanges the Broadway musicalby expanding the character arcs and giving more time to the relationships. Ultimately, the only part of the musical adaptation that feels too long is “Defying Gravity,” which runs one minute and 46 seconds longer than the original.
After the success of the 2023 dark comedyPoor Things, critics and audiences waited with bated breath for Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film. His 2024 filmKinds of Kindnessis a triptych that explores the human condition with biting misanthropy. Rather than switching out the leads in each story, thesame actors appear as multiple charactersthroughout the anthology. Nobody should be surprised byKinds of Kindness’ 2-hour and 44-minute runtime. After all,four of Lanthimos’ past five movies run 2 hours or longer, becoming a notable characteristic of his films.
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Still, the response toKinds of Kindness’s story and length was highly divided. The director’s narrative style and self-aggrandizing cleverness are an acquired taste that’s off-putting to many audience members. In the case ofKinds of Kindness, the length makes these qualities less bearable. This film could have been cut in half, and the story would have worked just as well. As such, the padded scenes feel like Oscar bait rather than offering anything meaningful to the general audience.
Based on the eponymous 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, the 2021 movieDunegained a second part in 2024.Dune: Part Twofollows Paul Atreides’ journey as he seeks revenge for his family’s destruction. The film is the second installment in a modern space opera, a genre that allows for longer films that tell an epic story. The movie’s 2-hour and 46-minute runtime might feel daunting at first glance, but it’s no more outlandish than2001: A Space Odyssey, which runs for 2 hours and 29 minutes, orAvatar, which runs for 2 hours and 42 minutes.
Luckily,the length ofDune: Part 2benefits the story, offering more character development and action. Almost every scene has an impact on the bigger story, making the runtime feel necessary. On top of this, the movie flies by despite its nearly three-hour length, because the pacing and tension are steady.
Kevin Costner started the script for his passion project –Horizon: An American Saga– in 1988, and the first of four movies was released in 2024. The film tells the fictionalized story of American settlers who seek out a life in the West in 1859. A 3-hour and 1-minute runtime is a significant ask for theatrically released films. Costner’s film tries to justify the length by painting the film as an epic Western movie that covers a 15-year period of history, and perhaps the response would have been different if the single film covered the entire story.
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However,Horizon: An American Sagafeels more like the first three episodes of a TV series.The length drags out unnecessary character arcs in a narrative that feels disjointed. It also negatively impacts revenue because not many people will pay theater prices to see four three-hour-long movies. Frankly, afterHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1bombing at the box office and theterrible early reviews forHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, there’s no promise the third and fourth movies will even get made. Ultimately, Costner would have been better off adapting his story for TV.
The longest movie of 2024 isThe Brutalist– the2025 Golden Globes winnerfor Best Drama Movie. The historical drama tells the story of a Jewish architect named László Toth who survives the Holocaust and moves to the United States with his wife to pursue the American Dream. Writer-director Brady Corbet knew that getting the film to audiences would be an uphill battle, considering the 3-hour and 35-minute runtime. In his Golden Globes acceptance speech, he revealed that production companies told him thatThe Brutalistwas un-distributable and that nobody would come to see it (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).
Shockingly, the drama completely warrants the absurdly long runtime. At first glance, the movie is about a man trying to build a building, but, in reality,The Brutalistsends profound messages about the unattainability of the American Dream.The extended scenes allow for the emotional weight of the movie to set in as the audience is watchingrather than hitting them afterward. Ultimately, Corbet was right to stand his ground about the movie’s length.
