When you’re headed to the movies, some things are non-negotiable. Good popcorn is a must. A comfy seat with an unobstructed view of the screen is paramount. Solid air conditioning is especially important during summer blockbuster season. But no matter what you’ve come to see—a prestige drama, an epic action film, or family-friendly fare—according to intriguing new data, time is of the essence.
While Hollywood studios seem convinced that bigger always means better, a recent study by Talker Research has revealed that audiences’ patience for sitting in a theater seat is shrinking. Will this give Christopher Nolan pause before releasing another three-hour epic? His upcoming film, The Odyssey, (arguably one of the most anticipated of the summer), runs a whopping 174 minutes after all.
According to those surveyed, the sweet spot for a film’s runtime is a remarkably brisk 88 minutes. So, what is it that’s making moviegoers yearn for quicker trips to the multiplex?
The ticket to shorter attention span theater
Traditionally, movies have aimed for runtimes between 90-120 minutes for a variety of reasons. From a business standpoint, this allows the maximum number of showings per theater. Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” Not a bad goal, considering how large soda sizes have become since The Master of Suspense’s heyday.
The science behind a movie theater audience’s shrinking attention spans shows a clear downward trend. When researchers ran this same poll back in 2024, the ideal movie length came out to 92 minutes. In just two years, Americans have lost four minutes of collective patience.
The generational divide makes these responses even more interesting:
- Boomers: The most patient generation, clocking an ideal runtime of 93 minutes.
- Gen X: Right in the middle at 89 minutes.
- Millennials: Dropping down to 86 minutes.
- Gen Z: Looking for the credits to roll by the 82-minute mark.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, moviegoers’ shorter attention spans can be attributed, in part, to the ever-expanding pre-show. Before the feature presentation even begins, moviegoers endure a barrage of ads and trailers that can tack on an extra 20 to 30 minutes. At this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Sony CEO Tom Rothman pleaded with theater owners to “get rid of the endless advertising and substantially shorten the long pre-shows.” By the time the feature presentation rolls, many moviegoers are already squirming in their seats.
The great summer blockbuster disconnect
Surely the preference for shorter films can be backed by box-office performance, right? Yes and no…and don’t call us Shirley. Big hit comedies like 1980’s Airplane!, 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite, and 2009’s Zombieland all clock in at 88 minutes or less. So do family features, like the first installment of Toy Story in 1995 and 1994’s megahit The Lion King.
The current list of worldwide box office hits, however, tells a different story. The shortest movie of the bunch is Pixar’s Inside Out 2 at a sizeable 100 minutes. The longest? 1997’s Best Picture winner Titanic at 194 minutes. The current average runtime of these blockbusters is just over two and a half hours.
Media watchers note that while audiences love the idea of a tight, punchy flick, the “event films” that drive people to theaters tend to run longer. Think: the Lord of the Rings trilogy or pretty much any Avengers film. Still, when you consider our pause-friendly viewing habits at home or Gen Z’s fondness for short-form content on TikTok and Reels, you can see how moviegoers might feel restless at the idea of yet another three-hour-plus Avatar film. Studios might want to take Mr. Hitchcock’s sage advice to heart. Or at least give us fewer ads and trailers before showtime.
