How long while watching a film before you think “when does this end?”

According to new market research, that point for most is 92 minutes. More strikingly, only 2% of those surveyed could stomach a film length longer than 2.5 hours. In a world where TV viewing habits consist of binge-watching entire seasons of shows in one day, there is clearly a bit of cognitive dissonance going on with attitudes toward how long a film should be.

It, however, makes sense why the cut-off point for many is 92 minutes. For decades, narrative film was stuck on a three-act structure, with beginning, middle, and end story beats neatly fitting within an hour and a half runtime. This has conditioned audience expectations, boxing film into a linear three acts that pulls more from theatrical convention than a cinematic one.

Is there a correct length for a film? No, a film’s length should depend on its artistic needs. But that’s just not the commercial reality, with film length being a question of maximising business before it becomes a question of artistic consideration.

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