The Marvels Run Time Listed to Be Shortest MCU Movie

The Marvels runtime has been revealed and the Captain Marvel sequel is the shortest MCU movie. AMC Theatres posted the runtime for The Marvels and it sits at 1 hour and 45 minutes. That means Brie Larson’s MCU movie comes in under entries like Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk. (Both of those were 1 hour and 52 minutes long.) The Marvels also has a pretty big budget compared to those two movies as well. There has been a lot of talk about how Marvel Studios employs runtimes recently. So, this movie will end up being an interesting data point in those discussions. However, it’s hard to underestimate how much having Captain Marvel as a precursor will be. 

For Marvel Studios, the trend of these movies varying across properties continues. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 were longer than most other offerings since Spider-Man: No Way Home. When the runtimes for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came out, there was fan anxiety about there being enough time to tell those stories. You’ll probably get some of that with The Marvels as well. Now, some of this year’s biggest hits are relatively breezy, so there might not be much to really be worried about.

The Marvels Reported Budget 

The Marvels has a pretty lofty budget. But, not one that would rank as the most expensive of these movies. Marvel Studios next movie has a budget of somewhere near $270 million. Previous reports had The Marvels hitting around the $130 million mark. But, that was for an earlier round of filming only. Director Nia DaCosta has been open about how much of her movie occurs in space. So, that could explain some of the budget going to VFX. However, post-production and other expenses could have driven that number upward as well. It feels like a given that a comic book movie of this size would have some reshoots as well. All of these factors come into play with that price tag.

While that and the runtime may inspire some doubt among skeptics. Captain Marvel did make a billion dollars last time out. It’s a different cinema environment in 2023. But, there’s still room for success. Both Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did very well at the box office. Brie Larson is a recognizable name and she’s flanked by two Disney+ favorites this time. WandaVision standout Teyonah Parris makes her leap to the big screen in The Marvels. MCU darling Iman Vellani will be introduced to a whole new audience with this movie too. So, there is some draw there.

The Marvels Makes The Leap To IMAX

Another massive development for The Marvels is that the movie will be getting an IMAX run by itself. Dune 2 got delayed to 2024 and that means Marvel Studios gets to put their project on those massive screens. The Marvels ended up being the “most anticipated fall movie” on a recent Fandango poll. It seems like that kind of buzz plus the lack of competition bodes well for the MCU project. As an added bonus, yesterday brought news that the Captain Marvel follow-up has secured a same-day release in China. A lot of Marvel Studios movies haven’t gotten to debut in that territory over the last couple of years. The Marvels presents a chance for it to gain ground internationally as well. Any number of outcomes are possible for this movie.

IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond is excited to see what The Marvels can do. During a recent earnings call, the executive told investors that Marvel Studios projects are still a draw for cinema-goers. “There’s another great movie coming out around that time, which is The Marvels from Marvel, and we can’t play it because we are committed to Dune,” Gelfond told investors. “So, if Dune moves, we’ll just go over to The Marvels, and having a Marvel movie as a backup is not the worst position to be in the world.” 

Are you surprised by how short The Marvels is? Let us know down in the comments!