Avengers: Endgame has a lot to squeeze in. The film functions as the conclusion to various plot strands that have been developing in the MCU since 2008 and, like Infinity War before it, needs do a gargantuan number of superheroes justice.
Knowing all this, the reveal earlier this week that AMC Theaters were listing Endgame as having a 182 minute runtime didn’t exactly come as a surprise. It seems that they might have published this by mistake though, as the runtime was quickly removed from the site. However, sources close to The Hollywood Reporter are now saying that the information is broadly accurate, with the outlet revealing the following:
“While 3:02 may not be the exact running time, it’s close, according to sources. Disney declined to comment.”
This would make it the longest entry in the MCU by quite a way. The already very long Infinity War came in at 160 minutes, with the rest of the MCU fare generally clocking in at about two hours. I think it’ll also be the longest superhero movie of the modern era, with the IMDb listing its closest competitors as The Dark Knight Rises at 164 minutes, Watchmen at 162 minutes and Superman Returns at 154 minutes.
This monster runtime shows a certain bullishness on Marvel Studios’ part as well. A long runtime means less screenings per day, which could mean a lower box office total. However, I’d wager they’ve concluded that fans will be so eager to see Endgame that they’ll stop at nothing to get tickets.
A runtime like this does make me wish cinemas would start having intermissions again though, if only because I imagine during that final half hour of Avengers: Endgame there’ll be a lot of very tightly crossed legs in the theatre. Perhaps Marvel’s strategy is to encourage fans to see it twice in order to catch the scene they missed while they were queuing for the cinema bathroom?
