Moving into Phase 4, MCU fans have developed more interest than ever in the runtime of the latest releases as they continue to call for longer episodes and big-screen adventures. Nearly all the Disney+ series have received criticism for the length of their installments, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the latest to fall victim to this, as it came in at just 2 hours, 6 minutes.
Thor: Love and Thunder is moving ever closer to its July release, and fans have begun speculating how long it will run for. Between spending time with the Guardians of the Galaxy, reintroducing Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor, and diving into Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, director Taika Waititi has a lot to achieve with Love and Thunder.
Rumors have placed the God of Thunder's latest adventure between 1 hour, 55 minutes, and 2 hours, 20 minutes - a range that could be the difference between disappointment and excitement.
With under a day to go until tickets finally go on sale, the world's biggest theaters have seemingly revealed the official runtime.
How Long Is Thor: Love and Thunder?
What is the Thor Love and Thunder runtime? The world's two largest theater chains, AMC and Cineworld, listed the runtime for Thor: Love and Thunder at 1 hour and 59 minutes. Previous conflicting reported run times ranged from 1 hour, 55 minutes to 2 hours, 20 minutes, placing the latest listing at the lower end.
With tickets releasing for purchase on Monday, June 13, the latest report likely represents the official length of the film.
Thor 4's 119-minute runtime makes it the shortest MCU theatrical release since 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp (1 hour, 58 minutes) and the 7th-shortest Marvel Studios movie yet.
Here's the full list of MCU movie runtimes for comparison:
- Iron Man - 2 hours, 6 minutes
- The Incredible Hulk - 1 hour, 52 minutes
- Iron Man 2 - 2 hours, 4 minutes
- Thor - 1 hour, 55 minutes
- Captain America: The First Avenger - 2 hours, 4 minutes
- The Avengers - 2 hours, 23 minutes
- Iron Man 3 - 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Thor: The Dark World - 1 hour, 52 minutes
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 2 hours, 16 minutes
- Guardians of the Galaxy - 2 hours, 1 minute
- Avengers: Age of Ultron - 2 hours, 21 minutes
- Ant-Man - 1 hour, 57 minutes
- Captain America: Civil War - 2 hours, 27 minutes
- Doctor Strange - 1 hour, 55 minutes
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 2 hours, 16 minutes
- Spider-Man: Homecoming - 2 hours, 13 minutes
- Thor: Ragnarok - 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Black Panther - 2 hours, 14 minutes
- Avengers: Infinity War - 2 hours, 29 minutes
- Ant-Man & the Wasp - 1 hour, 58 minutes
- Captain Marvel - 2 hours, 3 minutes
- Avengers: Endgame - 3 hours, 1 minute
- Spider-Man: Far From Home - 2 hours, 9 minutes
- Black Widow - 2 hours, 14 minutes
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 2 hours, 12 minutes
- Eternals - 2 hours, 36 minutes
- Spider-Man: No Way Home - 2 hours, 28 minutes
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 2 hours, 6 minutes
Is Thor 4's Runtime That Bad?
In the modern era, many have become quick to criticize a big-screen outing or Disney+ installment before it has even been released. Pacing on film and television is key; too short and things can feel rushed, too long and things begin to drag at a snail's pace.
Just four months before the 2017 release of Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi spoke to Collider and revealed his current cut of the film to be just 1 hour, 40 minutes, which grew to 2 hours, 10 minutes by release. Waititi also shared his belief that "stories are better when you leave them wanting more," and he may well be applying that same logic to Love and Thunder:
“The cut right now, I reckon it’s about 100 minutes. It’s not gonna be a very, very long film. I think that stories are better when you leave them wanting more, and this film moves at a clip, it’s got stuff happening all the time. I think people are still gonna feel exhausted by the end, they’ve been on this big journey and stuff, so I don’t think we need the film to be three hours.”
Out of the God of Thunder's four films, only Thor: Ragnarok ran over two hours, and even that only landed just past the mark, meaning Love and Thunder's runtime is in character for the franchise. Only time will tell whether the sequel will suffer from pacing issues, but Waititi has demonstrated himself to be an exceptional director and earned the trust of fans.
The Guardians of the Galaxy will likely be gone from the action within the first 30 minutes, leaving the focus on the existing cast and Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher for the remaining time. So Love and Thunder may not have as much to achieve in its two-hour time span as many believe.
Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8.
