Avatar: The Way Of Water Will Apparently Boast A Runtime Of Over Three Hours
Director James Cameron is one of the greatest storytellers of his age (even some of his unmade projects have a legendary stature, like his failed Spider-Man movie), but he isn't exactly known to the public for his economy in the editing room. Of the eight feature films he's directed since making his directorial debut with "Piranha II: The Spawning" in 1982, Cameron's style has developed into longer and longer films, reaching a culmination of sorts with "Titanic," which clocks in at well over three hours.
Of course, a good long movie will feel shorter than a long bad one, and the length of "Titanic" didn't keep it from being a box office smash, nor is it easy to find many people complaining about the length of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" or "Aliens," both available in director's cuts that are longer than their theatrically released versions. So it isn't necessarily a bad thing, nor is it unexpected, that his upcoming "Avatar" sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water" will reportedly clock in at a runtime north of the three-hour mark.
The film reportedly clocks in at around three hours and ten minutes
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Avatar: The Way of Water" will come close to the position of "Titanic" as James Cameron's longest movie, reportedly somewhere "around three hours and ten minutes," according to unnamed sources involved with the movie.
That would make "The Way of Water" about half an hour longer than the original "Avatar," and right in line with recent blockbusters to approach a three-hour runtime, including "The Batman" and its jaw-dropping runtime of two hours, 55 minutes.
The length of "Avatar: The Way of Water" hasn't been officially confirmed by Disney yet, but the figure did reportedly pop up when movie theater websites listed the film's PG-13 rating, accidentally posting the runtime too.
Hopefully, the spectacle and drama that is in store for viewers of "The Way of Water" will justify a runtime of over three hours. Fans and the public at large will find out for sure once the movie hits theaters on December 16, 2022.