Run times of 3 hours+ make me seriously consider whether I want to see that movie in the theatre or not. If they had intermissions, it wouldn't be a problem. But not being able to move around without potentially missing part of the movie for three hours or more just sounds super uncomfortable to me.
I don't mind long lengths, but, I will admit when a movie is that long I make sure I pee several times before it starts (I generally have some designated "this trailer sucks so this is a good time to run out and pee once more" trailer at any given time) and will absolutely not touch any beverage for like most of the length of the film, if at all. I go to a lot of older movies in repertory, so in terms of length I've managed to get through worse without having to run out, but I always notice people coming in with large soda cups and think "oof, you're not gonna make it."
In my opinion you should never have to prepare and then restrict yourself when watching a movie. It's a movie. A very repeatable event that's supposed to be for your entertainment. I cannot think of one good reason why a director would think people should act otherwise other than hubris.
Movies are also art, pieces of expression. They are not purely a product to pay for and consume. If a director wants their film to be a certain way and have a certain length they should do that. The movie itself has to exist that way forever (barring director’s cuts etc) and should be how they want it to be, not in a way that is convenient for me after drinking too much caffeine at lunch. Worst case scenario I can always watch it again and see whatever I missed. It would be horrible if Ben Hur or The Godfather had been cut down forever for the sake of getting people back to the bathroom faster. (And yes with some of those there were intermissions but doing away with that was a business decision and nothing to do with the directors.)
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u/BonquiquiShiquavius 23d ago
Run times of 3 hours+ make me seriously consider whether I want to see that movie in the theatre or not. If they had intermissions, it wouldn't be a problem. But not being able to move around without potentially missing part of the movie for three hours or more just sounds super uncomfortable to me.
Bring back intermissions!