Director Chad Stahelski Isn't Worried About John Wick: Chapter 4's Long Runtime
If you feel like a lot of blockbusters have been getting longer lately, you don't have to look much further than the "John Wick" series for validation. The first entry, "John Wick," had a relatively short runtime of 101 minutes — a figure that admittedly surprised me when I double-checked it, as I'll admit that I usually associate action films with a 2 hour runtime. That being said, "John Wick: Chapter 2" came in at 121 minutes, much closer to my initial estimate, while "John Wick: Chapter 3" got even more indulgent with a 131 minute runtime.
Now, as we gear up for "John Wick: Chapter 4," director Chad Stahelski has revealed that the trend is continuing — at least for now. In an interview with Collider, Stahelski noted that the upcoming John Wick film will be the longest one yet. However, there's still no word on where the much-anticipated (though no longer confirmed) fifth chapter's runtime might fit into the mix.
Just how long will John Wick: Chapter 4 be?
If you love to sip on soda (or tea) at the movies, I've got some good news. Although Stahelski won't confirm an approximate runtime for "John Wick: Chapter 4" just yet, he doesn't seem to be pushing for a 3+ hour movie. Based on his conversation with Collider, it seems like the final cut will clock in around 2.5 hours — and that if anything, the movie will be shorter rather than longer than the current estimate.
A 2.5 hour runtime might still seem a little long, but Stahelski isn't too worried about what people might think. Instead, he's staying true to his original, large-scale vision:
"I've had people who I trust and know say, 'Well, it's too long. Cut 20 minutes out.' And you're like, 'Okay, that's your feeling, that's your opinion.' [...] I mean, we wrote a longer movie. We wrote a bigger movie. We wrote a longer script. We wrote at least a third more scenes than the last one. We expect it to be more. We've always expected it to be more. And I think the test, or at least what we're judging ourselves by, is if it's worth it with how we executed what we want it to be more of or not?"
Is there really an 'ideal runtime' anymore?
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is far from the only recent blockbuster to have a 2+ hour runtime. If you look at 2022's top 10 box office hits, only "Minions: The Rise of Gru" and "Thor: Love and Thunder" clock in below the 120 minute mark. Over half of the entries have runtimes above 145 minutes — and last year's biggest box office success ("Avatar: The Way of Water") clocked in at 192 minutes.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the ins and outs of box office influences. But what I do know (thanks to frustrating firsthand experience) is that attention spans are very short nowadays. Speaking personally, this has had a weird impact on my viewing habits. If I'm looking for a fun, breezy watch, a long runtime can become a turnoff — even when I'm streaming at home and can easily stop the movie (or pause it and finish it later). On the other hand, when a movie is so well-done that it totally sucks me in, it's almost a peaceful, welcomed break from daily life's constant noise.
When a director chooses to go with a long runtime, they're taking a gamble: it might pay off big-time (it's always magical when a film completely casts a spell over you), but small-scale issues also seem to get magnified as runtimes increase. After all, you have more time to notice the movie's flaws — especially if they leave you bored.
At the end of the day, only time will tell if Stahelski made the right choice by opting for a longer runtime. In the meantime, here's to hoping that the decision will pay off.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" will open on March 24, 2023.