UK cinema chief claims that movies need to be shorter
The chief of one of the UK’s leading film distribution companies has said that directors need to make their movies shorter if they want to be shown in cinemas.
Claire Binns, the creative director of Picturehouse Cinemas, made the comments following the news that she has been named as the winner of this year’s Bafta for ‘Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema’.
Her remarks come amid a trend across the film industry of movies hugely increasing in length, with major critical hits in recent years such as Oppenheimer and The Brutalist clocking in at times of three hours and three hours, 35 minutes, respectively.
In a landscape where audiences are increasingly turning towards streaming rather than heading to the cinema, Binns said that directors need to be more aware of creating a comfortable experience for movie-goers.
“I talk to producers about this and say: ‘Tell the director you’re making the film for an audience, not the directors,’” she explained, per The Guardian, adding, “There’s always exceptions, but I look at a lot of films and think: ‘You could take 20 minutes out of that.’ There’s no need for films to be that long.”
Binns also noted the effect that extended runtimes have on the opportunities which cinemas have to screen the films, saying, “It means you only get one evening show. I think it’s a wake-up call to directors. If they want their films in cinemas, people have to feel comfortable about what they’re committing to.”
Despite this, the creative director was hopeful for the future of cinema following the difficult few years that it has endured.
“It’s been very tough for cinemas,” she said. “During Covid, everybody got used to sitting on couches and watching streaming services. But that’s changing. We’re working with the streamers to bring people in.”
Binns pointed to the fact that films with original stories are leading the way, with titles such as Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Marty Supreme fitting this bill within the awards race for 2026.
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