Marvel Studios' Eternals is roughly a month away from its highly anticipated theatrical release, and news reports reveal that film's runtime could make it the second-longest MCU film, right behind Avengers: Endgame.
According to the Russian "Film Distributor Bulletin" Kino Metro, Eternals is listed at 156 minutes, or 2 hours and 36 minutes, pushing it past Avengers: Infinity War's 149-minute runtime. Although it has not been confirmed if this will be the official runtime, tickets will go on sale very soon as the film's release date approaches, and it will be then when theatre chains will have an official runtime listed for their venues.
Whereas most solo MCU flicks have been around the 120-130 minute mark, this reported runtime is a change of pace for the MCU, as the longer runtimes have normally been given to the biggest entries in the franchise with the largest ensembles, such as all of the Avengers films. And even though Eternals may clock in a little bit longer, films like Infinity War and Endgame have proved that longer runtimes will not lose audiences' attention, as most of them are willing to invest whatever amount of time to witness their favorite heroes on the big screen.
If the 156-minute runtime stands, the lengthy Eternals has the potential to be one of the most epic MCU films to date and should surely push the ongoing cinematic universe in new and exciting directions. Director Chloé Zhao confirmed that Eternals will affect the future of the MCU while cast members, like Angelina Jolie, have also shared their thoughts on the film, claiming it to be one of the most impactful films in other ways involving representation and empowerment.
Eternals centers on an immortal alien race that was created by cosmic beings known as Celestials and has been living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. They finally have to come together to stop the Deviants, or in other words, their evil counterparts. The film will introduce many new characters on screen, with the cast featuring Angelina Jolie as Thena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Harish Patel as Karun.
Eternals is set to release in theatres on November 5, 2021.
Source: Kino Metro