In recent years, new films heading to cinemas and online streaming services have increased their run times.

According to an article from The Independent, the average length of the 10 highest-grossing films from 2023 (in the U.S. and Canada), was 2 hours and 23 minutes. This is a 30-minute increase compared to the average in 2020. 

While some moviegoers might not like these longer run times, Dune: Part 2 director Denis Villeneuve is actually in support of these longer films. 

In the same Independent article, Villeneuve says that younger moviegoers are enjoying longer films. He also said some films need longer run times to do their story justice. 

Bringing up his experience with the newest Dune film, he says that rather than get notes from Warner Brothers about cutting down the time, he got the opposite recommendation. Villeneuve has been embracing these notes in his recent films. His films Sicario and Arrival were both under two hours when they were released in the middle of the 2010s, while his more recent films like Dune and Blade Runner 2049 are both over two and a half hours.

With the success of longer films such as Oppenheimer, Villeneuve trusts that people will continue to come to theaters to see these longer films. Villeneuve told The Independent, “The youth love to watch long movies because if they pay, they want to see something substantial. They are craving meaningful content.”

Dune: Part Two, will have a wide release this Friday, March 1st, 2024.