- It is getting more common to see longer and longer movies released today, especially when it comes to epic blockbusters. Marvel often easily breaks the two-hour mark for movies, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hitting 126 minutes in 2022 and Spider-Man: No Way Home hit 157 minutes in 2021. David O. Russell’s upcoming movie Amsterdam checks in at 152 minutes, and it could have easily been much longer before the editing process. With the run times playing a big role in how people react to movies, it is often rare to find movies that are three hours ranking well on IMDb, so when they do, it is obvious the pacing and story are good enough to make them worth the time. Unlike other notably long cuts of movies, such as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, these were all also released in theaters.
With the extended amounts of time people are spending binge-watching their favorite shows on streaming services, it’s a good time to take a look at great movies that will keep you entertained for a whole afternoon. In this case, at least three whole hours. Don’t fear the lengthy film. The fact is, if a movie is good, it doesn’t matter how long it is.
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) - 7.5
Rent now on Apple TV & Prime Video
Whereas long movies are known for their legendary tales and moments of quiet gravitas, this comedy breaks that mold. It’s got some great shots too, showing off the countryside and far-flung places between the Midwest and California, but the laughs come hard and fast, so the audience will barely notice.
The cast is a virtual “who’s who” of 1960s comedy and Hollywood stars, and moves quickly through a variety of misadventures and wacky escapades that illustrate the crazy things people do for money. It has a G rating, which is great since even the kids will have no trouble sitting through three hours and thirty minutes of this mad, mad, mad movie.
Malcolm X (1992) - 7.7
Stream now on Tubi
Spike Lee’s film about a controversial civil right leader was controversial itself, and it’s just as important to watch it today as the year when it was made, so settle in for three hours and 22 minutes of unvarnished American history. The script is based on a book by Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, to whom the movie is dedicated.
It’s a biographical epic that follows a young Malcolm Little as his father is murdered by the KKK, he falls into a life of crime as a young adult, then discovers the writings of Elijah Muhammad and becomes a member of the Nation of Islam.
The Right Stuff (1983) - 7.8
Movies about astronauts are usually about dramatic launches, awesome orbits, and exciting landings. The Right Stuff is more about what goes on behind the scenes. It takes the audience through the grueling and seemingly ridiculous process of vetting, training, and certifying an astronaut. Viewers will walk away from this with a new appreciation of what the human body can endure, starting with sitting through a movie that is over three hours.
The movie is based on a book with the same title and was recently developed into a television series that was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, also called The Right Stuff. The original film from 1983 is experiencing a much-deserved resurgence as a result.
Dances With Wolves (1990) - 8.0
Stream now on HBO Max
The formula for Dances With Wolves worked so well it’s been copied numerous times since. The jokes about James Cameron’s Avatar practically copying the script are well-deserved. That’s surprising, considering it was made and released during a period when movies rarely clocked in at more than two hours and reviewers were skeptical about how Kevin Costner’s latest project would turn out, as one of the rare movies that are three hours.
Those interested in learning more about the historical setting and context of the main storyline should check out this detailed History Buffs essay on the subject.
Ben-Hur (1959) - 8.1
In a cinema awash with sword and sandal epics, as numerous producers cashed in on making Biblical stories back in the day, Ben-Hur stands out as a film that’s stood the test of time. That’s one of the reasons nobody cared about the 2016 remake. It’s a fictional story, but historically accurate in the sense that it includes real people like Pontius Pilate trying to solve the social issues arising from subjugating the province of Judea, a serious political issue for the Roman Empire at the time. No wonder this is a story that took three hours and 21 minutes to tell.
The plot of Ben-Hur focuses on a Jewish aristocrat trying to free his people from a tyrannical state, putting the time of Christ into a unique and realistic context. If none of that is interesting, watch it for the brutal chariot race scene in the rebuilt Circus Maximus. Yes, this is that movie.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - 8.2
Stream now on Prime Video & Paramount+
When it came out, there were complaints that The Wolf of Wall Street did a little too much to glamorize Jordan Belfort’s behavior as he committed fraud, cheated countless people out of millions, and lived a luxurious lifestyle, blurring the line between a movie satire and glorifying bad behavior. However, this also added to the allure of Martin Scorsese’s movie about white-collar crime.
Fans on IMDb loved it, giving it the same average score of a classic like Gone with the Wind, a movie problematic for other reasons. For The Wolf of Wall Street, fans loved the acting, the dark humor, and the Scorsese touches, that some compared favorably to Goodfellas.
Gone With the Wind (1939) - 8.2
We have to talk about Scarlett. This film is experiencing a moratorium of sorts at the moment, and for good reason. Contrary to what many seem determined to believe, this is a dramatization, not a documentary, and it’s time to recognize that inconvenient fact. Contemporary times demand that audiences need a deeper understanding of what many consider to be the quintessential American epic, and watch one of the best movies that are three hours with eyes unclouded.
A viewing of Gone With the Wind does help explain how a segment of the American population came to believe certain mythologies about their nation’s history. It’s not just a racist melodrama, it’s also a sexist and classist one. It’s an interesting note that Scarlett’s arrogance won’t preserve her lifestyle, a lesson she never seems to learn until it’s too late. As the film comes to a close, history marches on without her. And the rest of the world doesn’t give a damn.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - 8.3
Stream now on Netflix
While Sergio Leone mostly made some epic spaghetti westerns over his illustrious career, he also made a movie that jumped ahead in history and remains a top-tier crime movie over three hours long. The movie came after the first two Godfather movies, so it had a lot to live up to, but it holds its place in history.
With Robert De Niro and James Woods in the lead roles, fans today still look back on it with love. With an impressive 8.3 IMDb rating, voters called it a “masterpiece” about a man who was never able to find peace in a world that would never let him have it.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - 8.3
The music has been lampooned a thousand times, so often the score is recognizable even if the film isn’t. There are some familiar faces in the cast, including vintage heartthrob Omar Sharif and everyone’s favorite Jedi master, Alec Guinness. Lawrence of Arabia is a heavy dramatization of real events that easily fills up its three hours and 48 minutes of run time.
T. E. Lawrence wrote a book called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom that tells the tale in stark honesty from his own point of view, and one of the few common threads between the book and film is his profound heartbreak at the end.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 8.4
Stream now on Disney+
A recent entry that proves three-hour movies are back in style since the length of this one certainly didn’t deter audiences from flocking to see the biggest blockbuster of the 21st century so far. The movie didn’t exactly have rave reviews, either, with plenty of bickering over Fat Thor and Black Widow’s ultimate fate, and some unfavorable comparisons to the previous movie, Avengers: Infinity War.
Plenty of tears were shed over the loss of Iron Man, and fans asked themselves if the sacrifice was worth it. One thing nobody seemed to have a problem with was the three hours and one minute run time.
The Green Mile (1999) - 8.6
Based on the story by Stephen King, Frank Darabont directed his second prison movie following Shawshank Redemption by taking on The Green Mile. With this movie over three hours, Darabont took the time to tell the story of a man wrongfully accused of murdering two young girls and awaiting his time in the electric chair.
Unlike Shawshank Redemption, John Coffey does not find his freedom and escape, and instead this movie has him deliver redemption to those around him before his time ends. Reviewers on IMDb admit the movie makes them laugh and cry and experience feelings “which can’t be described in words.” Fans also love it because it is loyal to Stephen King’s source material.
Seven Samurai (1954) - 8.6
Stream now on HBO Max & The Criterion Channel
It isn’t a surprise to find movies over three hours long in the film catalog of Japanese mastermind Akira Kurosawa. His masterpiece, released in 1954, was Seven Samurai, a movie that was later remade in America as The Magnificent Seven. At three hours and 27 minutes, it was also one of Kurosawa’s longest films.
The reviews on IMDb match its legacy, with voters giving it an 8.6 average score, which is great for a movie that is almost 70 years old.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 9.0
Stream now on Prime Video & HBO Max
If Dances With Wolves re-started this trend in 1990, the Lord of the Rings franchise brought it back with a vengeance in 2002 and cinema hasn’t been the same since. The other films in the trilogy are very close to the three-hour mark, falling short by only a few minutes, but the third installment is the only one that actually crosses that line at three hours and one minute.
It’s interesting to note that the books follow the same pattern of long and epic yet very popular, doing little to deter fans of either movies or literature. It should be noted that this length refers to the theatrical version, not one of the extended cuts, which can run much longer.
The Godfather Part II (1974) - 9.0
Stream now on Paramount+
When Francis Ford Coppola released The Godfather, it went down in history as one of the greatest gangster movies of all time. He followed it up with a sequel that was arguably even better, bringing in Robert De Niro to play Vito Corleone in the past while Al Pacino held down the role of Michael in the present day. This was one of the greatest movies over three hours in length ever made.
IMDb fans tied it with two other movies over that time length for the best of the best. Reviewers on the site called it “the greatest sequel” in movie history and “the greatest film ever made.”
Schindler’s List (1993) - 9.0
Stream now on Starz
Considered by many to be Steven Spielberg’s best work and one of the most gripping films about the Holocaust ever made, Schindler’s List is based on a 1992 novel by Thomas Keneally called Schindler’s Ark. It’s a riveting story that doesn’t quit for a solid three hours and 15 minutes and contrasts the absolute worst and best of humanity.
It was heralded for using a mix of old and new cinematic techniques, like the use of black and white in some scenes and color film in others. The events are a dramatization, but Oskar Schindler was a real person, and so was his list.
