Killers of the Flower Moon: Apple and Paramount Are Stopping Theaters From Inserting Intermissions

Killers of the Flower Moon editor Thelma Schoonmaker calls added intermissions a "violation."

By Jamie Jirak

Martin Scorsese's newest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, was released in theaters last weekend and it has a hefty runtime. The new film, which is based on David Grann's bestselling book of the same name, has been a hit with critics and audiences despite its 206-minute runtime. The film is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92% critics score and 85% audience score. ComicBook.com  gave the movie a 4.5 out of 5 and called it "another masterpiece" by Scorsese. While most film fans have been braving the runtime, a few theaters have tried to get around it by inserting an unsanctioned intermission. According to Variety, various theaters have built in intermissions ranging from six to 15 minutes.

According to the report, various theaters throughout Europe have included an intermission in Killers of the Flower Moon. The Lyric, a theater in Fort Collins, Colorado also showed the film with an intermission up until October 26th, but they got in trouble with the film's distributor, Paramount, and producer, Apple Original Films. Variety writes, "The companies have been contacting theaters that have violated their contract by splitting up the film and telling them to show Killers of the Flower Moon as intended, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation." 

"I understand that somebody's running it with an intermission which is not right. That's a violation so I have to find out about it," Killers of the Flower Moon editor Thelma Schoonmaker told The Standard. 

Martin Scorsese Defends Killers of the Flower Moon's Runtime:

Recently, Socresese defended the movie's runtime when talking with Hindustan Times.

"In the case of Killers of the Flower Moon, it should be seen on the big screen. Are we intending to make a blockbuster? No, we're making a movie, which should watched on the big screen. Other pictures I made? Maybe not. Sometimes, it's the strength of the picture too, if it plays well on a smaller screen, that's interesting. Killers could play on a small screen, but in order to truly immerse yourself, you should take out the time. People say it's three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours. Also, there are many people who watch theatre for 3.5 hours. There are real actors on stage, you can't get up and walk around. You give it that respect, give cinema some respect." 

What Is Killers of the Flower Moon About?

You can read a description of the film below:

"The film is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle, Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal."

Related:

Killers of the Flower Moon stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser. 

Killers of the Flower Moon is now playing in theaters. 

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