Why Is CIVIL WAR 146 Minutes Long?

We think we have the answer.

By Mar. 08, 2016

People are cocking quite the cynical eyebrow at the news of Captain America: Civil War’s daunting 146-minute runtime. It’s a doozy, no argument there. But is it really NEWS that Civil War will be so long? Ken Burns’ The Civil War was a whopping 690 minutes long and no one complained, while the actual American Civil War ran for four years, three weeks, and six days. Though I suppose people complained about its running time back then, it’s definitely not as big a deal now. So, really, let’s have some perspective.

I haven’t been following this film all that closely, but based on what I know about the MCU and narrative film in general, here’s an approximation of how I think Civil War's two hours and twenty six minutes will be filled:

  • Pre-title sequence: 8 minutes
  • Theme song: 3 minutes
  • Friendly banter and repartee: 11 minutes
  • Inciting act/big ol’ setpiece: 12 minutes
  • Battle lines drawn/gauntlets thrown down: 4 minutes
  • Curveball romance subplot: 6 minutes
  • Saving the cat: 11 minutes
  • Spider-Man's origin: 45 minutes
  • Black Panther's origin: 3 minutes
  • Vision-As-Pinocchio-type stuff: 2 minutes
  • Jeremy Renner dialogue: 1 minute
  • Heroes vs Heroes: 13 minutes
  • Surprise death(s): 2 minutes
  • Increasing the peace: 6 minutes
  • Solemn closing scene: 4 minutes
  • End credits: 14 minutes
  • Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 teaser: 1 minute

And we're at 146! Friends, I dare say Captain America: Civil War will be the most brisk 146 minutes you spend in cinemas this summer. See you on May 6th!

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