Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker the longest Star Wars movie ever
Pro tip: Cut back on the blue or green milk consumption before taking your seat.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Get ready to spend some quality time with Kylo Ren and the crew.
Bring it on, Star Wars . The AMC Theatres showtime page for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lists the runtime for the upcoming film at 2 hours, 35 minutes, which would make it the longest movie in the Star Wars saga.
It's safe to say that won't stop fans from showing up. After all, Rise of Skywalker ticket sales beat out Avengers: Endgame in the first hour of presales on Atom Tickets. And a representative for online ticket site Fandango says in the opening hours of presales on Monday, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sold more tickets than any other Star Wars movie on the site, surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Disney did not immediately confirm the runtime.
Speaking of Avengers: Endgame, if your bladder made it through that 2019 film, you should have no worries about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Avengers: Endgame ran 3 hours, 2 minutes, and at least at the pre-release screenings, hardly anyone got up to use the restroom, director Anthony Russo revealed.
The shortest main-series Star Wars film ever was the first, the 1977 original now known as Star Wars: A New Hope, which crammed a universe full of action into what IMDb reports was a 2 hour, 1 minute runtime. If the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker runtime proves correct, it'll pass 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which runs 2 hours and 32 minutes.
Some critics said The Last Jedi didn't need to be as long as it was. But fans may be feeling more generous with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which carries the burden of having to wrap up a 42-year series that's become a global phenomenon.
Director J.J. Abrams know what he has to do.
"We were very much aware this is the end of the trilogy and it needs to satisfy," Abrams told Entertainment Weekly recently. "We went into this thing knowing it has to be an ending. We're not screwing around."
Film critic and author Robert K. Elder told me of Avengers: Endgame, that, "if (Marvel Studios president) Kevin Feige and (directors Joe and Anthony Russo) say they need three hours, they've built up a lot of goodwill (and) audiences will go with them." The same is likely to be said for Abrams and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
And if you do need a galactic bathroom break, take a tip from Dan Gardner, co-creator of RunPee, a mobile app that recommends the best times to get up and answer nature's call during a movie. Again, speaking of Avengers: Endgame, Gardner advises fans to see if they can anticipate a breather in the film before a big fight.
"In action movies there is usually a scene or two preceding the final battle, where the action slows down a bit and gives the audience a chance to wind down a little," Gardner said. Don't think you can figure out when that is on your own? His app adds spoiler-free "peetimes" for major films by opening night.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in previews Dec. 19, and officially worldwide on Dec. 20.