The Russos double down on Avengers: Endgame’s three-hour runtime after "great" test screenings

We knew that the Avengers 4: Endgame runtime would be long, but we all probably thought the rumoured three hour length would be eventually chopped down to something a little more manageable… but oh no, it appears that Avengers: Endgame really is going to be three hours long!

Directors the Russo Brothers have revealed their intention to make the longest MCU movie ever (by some distance) after a positive response from test audiences to the Marvel movie’s bumper runtime. Speaking to Collider, Joe Russo says: “We’re still at the three-hour mark,” before expanding that, “I think the studio is down with what the best story is.” That’s a big enough hint to suggest that Marvel Studios is fully on-board with Avengers: Endgame closing in on three hours.

But what would an audience think about staying in their seats that long? Well, Endgame’s extended length has already been shown to a handful of lucky people in test screenings and, as the elder Russo reveals, “We think the movie is playing well and we’ve had great responses from our test audiences and we’re feeling very good about where it is.”

Yet, even so, things could still be cut down and nothing is set in stone when it comes to the Endgame runtime just yet. “We’re still doing work to it. We’re not done with it,” Russo explains, perhaps mindful of keeping some distance from frenzied fans who have their hearts set on as much Endgame as possible.

We’re holding out hope for a whopping 180 minutes, however. Especially as Joe Russo lays all of his cards on the table – it sounds like he’s all-in on three hours when he tells Collider’s Steven Weintraub: “When you have to tell a really complicated story and you want strong emotional moments with the characters, it just requires a certain amount of real estate. This one, in particular, feels like three hours worth of real estate.”

My suggestion? Stock up on popcorn.