Who wants a break in the middle of the next blockbuster movie that will last several hours? Because of the lengthy running times, from 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” (3 hours, 2 minutes) through 2022’s “Elvis,” the strain on the back and bladder is increasing (2 hours, 39 minutes).
Perhaps it’s time to go back to the days when movies, like the 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” took a break halfway through its 3 hours, 42 minutes of running time to allow viewers to take a break and recharge.
Win-win, right?
You get an opportunity to get up and move about as the theatre proprietors offer more expensive concessions. It won’t take place.
The three film experts USA TODAY consulted agree with this. They are Dave Karger, host of Turner Classic Movies, Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, and renowned critic and film historian Leonard Maltin.
Even James Cameron, who is considered to be the king of long films with titles like “Titanic” (3 hours, 14 minutes) and “Avatar” (2 hours, 40 minutes), believes that moviegoers should learn to take it. It won’t take place.
The three film experts USA TODAY consulted agree with this. They are Dave Karger, host of Turner Classic Movies, Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, and renowned critic and film historian Leonard Maltin.
Even James Cameron, who is considered to be the king of long films with titles like “Titanic” (3 hours, 14 minutes) and “Avatar” (2 hours, 40 minutes), believes that moviegoers should learn to take it.
Cameron previously told Empire magazine that he didn’t want people to complain about “Avatar 2’s” length when they were sitting and binge-watching (TV) for eight hours.
The significant social paradigm shift that has to take place is this: “It’s OK to get up and go pee.” You won’t receive that intermission for a number of reasons. People, it’s all about the money.
Theater owners are keen to have the most screenings possible each day as “Top Gun” helps draw viewers back into the dim theatres outside of their homes. No matter how much expensive popcorn and soda are sold during a break, according to Bock, adding a 15-minute intermission to each showing will probably lead to fewer movie times and irrecoverably lost revenue.
Along with that, he continues, “from working in and around theatres, I can tell you that the bulk of people buy their snacks at the start and they’re done. To ask them to stand up in the middle of something would be to accept concessions the wrong way.
The narrative of a movie shouldn’t be interrupted, say movie filmmakers. Directors used to submit films in the lengths that the studios required. A lengthier “director’s cut” was made available if the movie did well.
Karger claims that everything appears to be in the director’s cut today. No movie, in his opinion, should be more than two hours, so an intermission is a fantastic idea. However, a lot of filmmakers would object to any disruption of their creative process.
According to Maltin, no one is requesting that they be brief. No pressure is being applied, he says, “I’m not sure if it’s a certain level of indulgence or a lack of discipline.” In the meantime, the crowd talks with its money.
Has the COVID pandemic taught us to sit and watch for hours on end?
Our streaming era has been accelerated by COVID-19, which has led to the routine of watching six or more hours of episodic television in one sitting. To be sure, in the comfort of our own houses.
But according to Bock, we are now virtually prepared for the prolonged in-theater experience. No one will object to the right three-hour movie, especially younger viewers who would gladly sit through nine hours of “Stranger Things,” according to him.
People often criticize millennials for having short attention spans because of smartphones, which may make them reluctant to sit through a long movie. This cliché, however, “is challenged by the emergence of movies of absurd length directed against them,” according to Maltin. Every “Transformer” film directed by Michael Bay feels longer than the previous one.
To accommodate epics, is the theatre experience changing?
There was a real concern that movie theatres across the country would close permanently early in the pandemic. An irreversible and impending transition to in-home entertainment was suggested when studios started releasing movies straight to streaming services.
However, cinemas are bouncing back, with many introducing luxuries like broad reclining seats and in-seat food delivery, making the cinema feel a little more like your home room. The moviegoing experience is changing as a result of upgrades being made to numerous theatres, according to Bock.
“With all of these creature conveniences, it will be considerably simpler for you to sit in your seat comfortably for at least 2.5 hours.”
Really, we don’t want to break the spell with a break?
Even though Maltin acknowledges that few films are deserving of such excesses, he does long for the days when sweeping pictures like “Lawrence of Arabia” had a respectable mid-show break. He gives a friend as an example of today’s fare.
“What’s the hurry, you have to get home for an appointment?”
I believe Judd Apatow stated on this topic. This preemptive advice comes from Karger, who recently blamed himself for needing to use the restroom in the middle of a Jordan Peele movie screening for “Nope.” In order to avoid this conundrum, he jokes, “I will starve myself two hours before a movie.”
