Feature films, even very long ones, are not really a discovery in the Hollywood landscape. But it has become a heavy trend for several years now, especially in superhero movies …
The Avengers: The Last Game? Three o’clock on the counter. Spider-Man: Is there no way home? Almost 2:30 p.m. Christopher Nolan Batman? At least 2:20 for the first time, a peak at 2:44 for The Dark Knight Rises. Want to see Batman still on screens? Schedule a 3 hour movie on the menu, not counting trailers and commercials before the show. And what about Justice League version 4h02 Zack Snyder? Eternity 2h37?
Superhero movies obviously do not have a monopoly on XXL lengths. Recall the 2h47 shown by Pirates of the Caribbean, or, to take a much more recent example, the 2h43 of Dying Can Wait, the final James Bond in which Daniel Craig last wore an Agent 007 costume. But, still, superheroes get the lion’s share.
Historically, Hollywood has always released very long films, even from the silent era. DW Griffith’s Birth of a Nation and released in 1915, it was already 2:30 p.m. Let’s not forget going to the wind at 4am, Lawrence Arabian at 3am 47 or a fabulous show like Ben-Hur that includes 3am. 32 hours. But for several years now, we have been witnessing an inflationary spiral of certain films. By that logic, movies like Venom: Let There Be Carnage and its 1h38 or 1h45 screened on the Morbius meter are almost non-existent, especially in superhero movies.
Until Variety recently dedicated a fascinating article to it with a headline that goes straight to the point: Why are there so many movies now? Because even if the viewer has to get their money, and we have to make it Money pieces Blockbusters, which cost millions to make, are clearly not the only reason. And sometimes they are old.
As the author of the post Rebecca Rubin rightly reminds us: “The length of a movie can have an impact on budget, revenue and word of mouth. In the millions of dollars, these precious minutes are never arbitrary. But very long. “
Go back to the future of cinema
The length of the films in the 1950s – obviously to be taken for granted – was a selling point for the majors who were then severely affected by the fierce competition of television, which used itself in every American home. If the public could find their favorite TV shows at home, only cinemas could and could offer such an impressive show. It should also be noted that this argument goes back centuries, as it is more or less the same as that of movie operators competing with streaming platforms during this Covid-19 pandemic …
“For a long time there was such an accepted idea, which was that long films were definitely synonymous with quality. Says Dana Polan, a teacher at New York’s famous Tish School of Art, who quotes Variety. But a long, very long film necessarily means less planned screening, less sold tickets, and therefore less profit.
The equation is complicated when viewers travel en masse to see these very long films that are technologically advanced: “Viewers have begun to take advantage of special effects films, which typically come at higher prices and require higher pay to justify these increased costs.” Rubin says. On leavingThe Avengers: The Last Game In the United States, multiplexes were open for 72 hours non-stop, due to high demand from viewers. But such preferential treatment is absolutely the exception.
Surprising rule … and less respected
When a director is hired by a major to direct a film, they are required by contract to have a 2 hour editing. The problem is that almost no one respects the rule; But this one “It protects studios from abstaining if a filmmaker delivers a film that is really too long.” Ideally and with a well-thought-out common goal, everyone has an interest in making the best film possible.
No doubt we should also see old ghosts sleeping in Hollywood wardrobes as they did at the time United ArtistsWhich was frightening when he discovered the first edit of the Gate of Paradise provided by Michael Cimino, which was 5:25 … The interested party even told them that he had already made the 15 minute cut in the concession. …
“Studios do not have a contract card, because it will be perceived as interference in the creative process, but they prefer shorter films. Studios do not follow this rule, nor do producers, because they will not eventually accept it. The correct length of the movie “ Commenting on Jonathan Glickman, producer and former president of MGM, Quotes Variety.
In fact, the question of the future length of the film begins even when the script is being written: a long or even very long script will definitely require more time to shoot. Shooting or filming an extra scene, as often happens, costs millions of extra dollars. In an SFX-enhanced blockbuster, an extra 30 minutes, or even 60 minutes, increases your budget by up to 25%. And the longer this kind of film, the longer it will take to post-produce, which costs from $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 a week.
Impact of test screenings
We also cannot estimate the enormous weight of the test screenings on the length of the films; Pretty old practice in the Hollywood landscape. Since the late 1930s, studios have been in the habit of requiring a small group of viewers to show their work and be responsible for giving their impressions, good and bad, after this show. And, if necessary, make the necessary changes prior to its commercial operation.
A moment of legitimate stress for the studio and film crew, given the director, the test show can also turn into a nightmare and disaster; There are many examples of this. From there followed known moments of tension for certain directors, who sometimes grabbed their work, with wounds inflicted or done on their backs; A completely restrained artistic vision yields a completely distorted work, sometimes, ultimately, a severe economic fine in the form of great commercial failure in theaters.
But the results of these test screenings can be quite favorable for directors as well, as Chris Columbus recalls in December 2021, who happily recalled the Harry Potter test film of his film, which lasted 3 hours, or 30 minutes longer. A version that will be shown in cinemas.
“We knew this movie worked because we did a few screenings. In Chicago, parents found it too long, while children, on the contrary, found it too short. I found that because children usually have shorter attention spans, this is good. ” Said the filmmaker.
Between marketing arguments and commercial considerations, between purely artistic considerations, sometimes between vague feelings or impressions finding a film too long without finding reasons or sometimes having difficulty, editing a film and therefore its duration is really a very delicate exercise. , Where each argument is weighted with a tribute. More or less happily. But there is currently no chemically pure formula because the alchemist systematically converts lead into gold.
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
