Why are Studios afraid of long films?

[Mrs. Sawyer]

There is something I've been wondering for some time. Why are studios scared to release films that go to 2 and a half hours? I've heard several stories this year of films getting chopped down and suffering in the process (It happened to Iron Man 2 and The Last Airbender for example).

When you look at the top 15 of all time worldwide 12 of them are 2 and a half hours or longer.The highest grossing film of a all time is 2 hours and 42 minutes. Domestically 4 films are in the top ten that are in the ballpark of 3 hours.

Studios say that they're worried about not having enough showtimes, but that has shown to not be a problem. So why are studios so hesitant to release long films?

 

[Gridiron]

the idea is that longer runtimes = fewer showtimes = less revenue, just like you said. the examples that say the contrary are exceptions

 

[jmc]

There are exceptions but general rule of thumb is any film over 150 mins means one less session. There's also at the fatigue factor, generally people struggle to pay attention for long films unless they are really engaging.

 

[Drizzle]

Sometimes the "longer length, less showtimes" theory is thrown out the window for franchises like "Harry Potter" and "Twilight". The next "Harry Potter" or "Twilight" movie could be three hours and it would still make the same amount as it would if it were two hours. That's because if it's more popular, theaters will open up more auditoriums for more screenings.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

I don't understand why that's a problem for even some popular films that were guaranteed gross high like Iron Man 2. I don't think people would've minded if Iron Man 2 was even 20 minutes longer. It would've benefited from it.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Wait, wasn't IM2 Favreau's cut?

 

[DACrowe]

I'm actually glad that IM2 got chopped down. The movie was already too long due to not a whole lot happening in the second act...but in general they assume audiences don't like long movies.

More precisely though, the shorter a film the more showings they can get out of a screen. If a movie is 2 hours instead of 2 1/2 or 90 minutes instead of 2 hours...they can get one more screening a day out of a theater. That means more money to be made.

That is what it really usually boils down to, If had to guess.

...And to be fair sometimes I find movies can be overindulgent. Peter Jackson's King Kong could have been a lot better if it was a half hour shorter.

But it really comes down to thinking audiences don't like long movies. And while that is sometimes true...the most successful film of all time was the 4-HOUR Gone With the Wind. The three biggest movies of the last 20 years were Titanic, The Dark Knight and Avatar...all over 2 1/2 hours (Titanic, being over 3, actually).

But most movies aren't going to be Avatar or The Dark Knight. And the studios are very aware of that, I think.

 

[spider-neil]

it's not about fear the audience lacks an attention span it's a fear of losing money. if the length of a movie means you can have 4 showings rather than 3 (for example) then you are making more money.

 

[jmc]

Perhaps it's also a case directors are conditioned to make films no longer than 2 1/2 hours.

 

[Laderlappen]

many people dont like movies that are too long, but what people generally like the most is 'BIG' movies. And many times movies have to be long to be feel big. So movies like Titanic, Avatar, Gone with the Wind, etc benefit for being long I think. The lenght of a movie is a big risk, but you need to take big risks to really succeed.

 

[Deaths Head II]

I think long films would be better if they had an intermission or something in the middle. I can sit through a 3+ hour film but I don't feel like missing a scene just to go to the bathroom or to get out of that seat for a few minutes. Sometimes studios decide to split the film in half like with the recent Harry Potter film but that's still not the same thing since you have to wait a few months to see the second half.

 

[wattabrownsound]

I think adaptations that have to squeeze in a lot of material like The Last Airbender should be given leeway to be more than a 2hr movie.