What's the ideal length for a movie?

For the majority of those surveyed, the ideal length of a movie is between two and three hours. Image credit: MixMedia/Getty Images

Before watching a movie, many people first check the length of the film they're about to see. Surprisingly, the majority of audiences aren't necessarily keen on short productions. On the contrary, over 70% believe that the perfect length for a movie is between two and three hours.

Between the success of the miniseries and short-form videos on social networks, our attention spans appear to have plummeted. Despite this, people continue to prefer longer formats when it comes to movies. According to a YouGov survey of audiences in 17 countries, 71% of those questioned said that the ideal length for a movie was between two and three hours.

This trend is particularly pronounced in the UK, where 84% of respondents held this opinion, followed by Australia (76%), Singapore (75%), the USA (75%), Denmark (75%), Canada (74%), Italy (72%) and Sweden (72%).

Meanwhile, shorter formats of between 30 minutes and one hour are particularly popular in Indonesia (28%), Hong Kong (27%) and the United Arab Emirates (24%). In Europe, Spain (21%), Italy (19%), Poland (18%), Germany and France (17%) are among the countries with the greatest interest in movies running for 30 minutes to an hour. Respondents in the US and the UK were less inclined to enjoy very short films, with 10% and 8% respectively preferring this format.

Even more surprisingly, around one in ten respondents in Hong Kong (8%) think that films should last less than 30 minutes. Audiences in Indonesia come second at 6%, followed by those in India and in the United Arab Emirates, where 5% said they prefer this format.

*Data is based on surveys of adults over 18 in 17 markets, with sample sizes ranging from 511 to 2,051 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in May 2024.