A few weeks ago, we learned that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be running at 2 hours and 31 minutes. Zack Snyder later clarified that the actual movie is only 2 hours and 22 minutes plus credits, but that’s still a hefty runtime. However, it looks like when you send superheroes up against each other, you need about two and a half hours to tell your story.
AMC Theaters [via The Playlist] has posted the runtime for Captain America: Civil War, and it shows that the runtime (with credits included—credits you know you’ll be sitting through so you can see if there’s a stinger) is 2 hours and 27 minutes, which makes it the longest Marvel movie to date. The previous record holder was Avengers: Age of Ultron, which ran at 2 hours and 21 minutes. In comparison to The Winter Soldier, the newest Cap movie is 11 minutes longer.
I’m fine with the runtime if it serves the story, and when your movie has “war” in the title, you expect a bit of heft. Additionally, with so many characters to service, I would be more concerned if this came in on the shorter side. Even though this is Captain America’s story, I still want to see other characters get their due, and if that requires a long movie, then so be it. As long as the Russo Brothers can hold our attention, I’m in.
Captain America: Civil War opens May 6th. The film stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Emily VanCamp, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Daniel Brühl, and Paul Bettany.
Here’s the plot synopsis for Captain America: Civil War:
Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
