This week, the first trailer for James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy dropped, and it packed a punch. The trailer showcased iconic characters and potentially intriguing plotlines, raising questions about how Gunn plans to balance everything in a single film. Some fans worry that such a rich story might be hard to pull off within the typical two-hour runtime. Fortunately, Gunn assures fans he’s aiming for a film shorter than two and a half hours, set to debut in July.
The writer, director, and DC Studios co-chair addressed fan inquiries on Threads shortly after the trailer's release. When asked about the film's runtime, Gunn responded, "We haven’t finalized it yet, so I’m not sure. But it’ll be under two and a half hours." While some fans argued this was too short, calling for a three-hour epic, others wisely pointed out that sometimes less is more. A focused, tightly crafted story can resonate more deeply than a sprawling, three-hour marathon.
To put things in perspective, here’s a rundown of DC films over two hours since Superman (1978), ranked by runtime:
- The Batman (2022) – 2 hours 56 minutes
- The Dark Knight Rises – 2 hours 44 minutes
- Watchmen (2009) – 2 hours 42 minutes
- Superman Returns – 2 hours 34 minutes
- The Dark Knight – 2 hours 32 minutes
- Batman v Superman – 2 hours 31 minutes
- Wonder Woman 1984 – 2 hours 31 minutes
- The Flash – 2 hours 24 minutes
- Superman (1978) – 2 hours 23 minutes
- Man of Steel – 2 hours 23 minutes
- Aquaman – 2 hours 23 minutes
- Wonder Woman – 2 hours 21 minutes
- Batman Begins – 2 hours 20 minutes
- Joker: Folie à Deux – 2 hours 18 minutes
- The Suicide Squad (2021) – 2 hours 12 minutes
- Shazam! – 2 hours 12 minutes
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods – 2 hours 10 minutes
- Superman II – 2 hours 7 minutes
- Blue Beetle – 2 hours 7 minutes
- Batman (1989) – 2 hours 6 minutes
- Batman Returns – 2 hours 6 minutes
- Superman III – 2 hours 5 minutes
- Batman & Robin – 2 hours 5 minutes
- Black Adam – 2 hours 5 minutes
- Supergirl (1984) – 2 hours 4 minutes
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – 2 hours 4 minutes
- Suicide Squad (2016) – 2 hours 3 minutes
- Joker – 2 hours 2 minutes
- Batman Forever – 2 hours 1 minute
- Constantine – 2 hours 1 minute
- Justice League – 2 hours
The average DC movie runs between 2 hours 20 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes, with Matt Reeves’ The Batman leading as the longest at almost three hours. The shortest feature is Superman and the Mole Men (1951), a 58-minute independent production. Extended editions, like Zack Snyder’s four-hour Justice League, are exceptions and primarily streaming exclusives.
What can fit into less than 2.5 hours? Fans will find out on July 10, 2025, when Superman: Legacy flies into theaters. Until then, you can read about the record-breaking views the first trailer achieved.
