Since 1929, a total of 581 films have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and their all-time average running time is 125 minutes. The last 74 consecutive lineups have included at least one film that is two hours long or longer, and there have been at least four such films nominated in each of the last 11 years. This applies to eight of this year’s 10 contenders, including the 179-minute-long “Drive My Car,” which is one of the 30 lengthiest films ever recognized here.
As long as it also meets specified screening requirements, a film only needs a running time of 40 minutes to qualify for Best Picture consideration. Every one that has been nominated has reached at least 65 minutes. 98 (17%) have run two and a half hours or longer, and 30 of those have won the award. The oldest such recipient, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (152 minutes), dates back to the third ceremony in 1930.
Check out our gallery of the 10 longest Best Picture Oscar nominees, including nine that hit the 200 minute mark and one that is over four hours long.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
