Is the 3-Hour Runtime the New Norm?

In the late 1900s, movies often lasted three to four hours.

 But in the past ten years, three-hour films became less common. Now, there's a shift happening, and three-hour runtimes are slowly becoming the standard again.

Not too long ago, many filmmakers set their own limits, keeping movies around two hours and thirty minutes to two hours and forty-five minutes.

 With the rise of short-form content on smartphones, they thought audiences wouldn’t want to sit through a three-hour film.

But recent movies like *Animal*, *Pushpa 2: The Rule*, and *Dhurandhar* have shown that runtime isn’t a problem, even with so much short-form content around.

 If a movie is interesting, its length doesn’t feel like a burden. On the flip side, even shorter films can feel boring if they don’t keep people engaged.

Filmmakers have always aimed to tell stories in detail and depth.

 The success of movies that go beyond three hours and make over ₹1,000 crore at the box office shows they are getting more comfortable with longer runtimes. They’re not treating time as a strict rule anymore.

This trend is also seen in upcoming movies like *The Raja Saab* and *Jana Nayagan*, which are expected to be over three hours and ten minutes and three hours and five minutes respectively.

 Many big-budget, pan-India films are now choosing longer runtimes, supporting the idea that three hours is becoming the new norm.

That said, there’s still a risk.

 If a long movie isn’t engaging, its length can actually make the experience worse.