Sony's Next Spider-Man Spin-off, Morbius, Receives Official Runtime

Audiences will soon be introduced to actor Jared Leto in another comic book role. The Oscar winner previously inhabited the character of the DC Universe's Joker and appeared in two films as the Clown Prince of Crime. Now, Sony has brought him to screen as their take on Morbius the Living Vampire as part of their Spider-Man Universe, which also comprises the two Venom films starring Tom Hardy.

Reception to Sony's own universe of Spider-Man-affiliated characters has been mixed, to say the least, but the studio still appears determined to press on with adapting the Marvel characters for which they own the film rights to screen. This continuity is also separate from Marvel Studios' MCU, as confirmed by the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

How Long Is Morbius' Runtime?

According to Cinemark, Morbius comes in with a 1-hour-48-minute runtime, which is only eleven minutes longer than Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Venom 2 was a notably brief film, clocking in at 1 hour and 37 minutes. Now, it appears that Morbius is following suit as the third installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Sony Seems To Want Shorter Films

With the Venom sequel and now Morbius, there seems to be a pattern forming with Sony's brand of Marvel movies. 

All things considered, a shorter runtime does enable theaters to show the film more times in a given day, which has the potential to equal additional revenue for the film studio.

Or perhaps Sony and Columbia Pictures are prioritizing quicker, more easily digestible moviegoing experiences. The standard Marvel Studios film oftentimes has a run time of two hours or more. Avengers: Endgame lasted three hours. Maybe Sony wishes to differentiate itself from Disney and Marvel in this regard?

Or it could be that the quick running times for Morbius and Let There Be Carnage are just a coincidence. Some critical of Tom Hardy's symbiote sequel asserted that the movie could have used a longer length to further flesh out the story and characters.

It's also interesting to note that the product Marvel Studios and Sony's most recent partnership, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was originally rumored to be hovering around three hours in length but ended up at 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Morbius is slated to hit theaters on January 20, 2022.