Every DCEU Movie, Ranked By Runtime | ScreenRant
Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe is generally enjoyed more by average moviegoers, the DC Extended Universe almost takes pride in its epic behemoths of movies. They tend to be consistently full of giant CGI battles and most of their movies are way longer than the two-hour mark. Not only that, but the longest movie in the franchise is one of the longest Hollywood movies of all time.
The runtimes of these movies are clearly part of the reason why they're not as financially successful as the Marvel movies. But the density and world-building of DC's movies are what makes them so rewatchable, even the ones that were initially negatively received by critics.
11 Birds Of Prey (2020) - 109 Minutes
Clocking in it just 109 minutes, Birds of Prey is by far the shortest movie in the DCEU, and unsurprisingly, Harley has the most screentime. Though it's a team-up movie, the 2020 film could very much be called Harley's solo movie.
Birds of Prey is also the lowest-grossing movie in the DCEU, which is ironic given that it's part of a series full of 2.5-hour movies. Not many people might know it, but a movie's runtime is tied to box office success in a lot of ways. For one, the longer the movie is, there are fewer times it can be screened in multiplexes per day. On top of that, people are generally put off by movies with giant runtimes.
10 Justice League (2017) - 120 Minutes
It's hardly a surprise that Justice League sits at exactly two hours, as Warner Bros tampered with the movie so much because it so desperately wanted a success. The 2017 movie is a truncated version of Zack Snyder's vision, and it was because Warner Bros. wanted a short and snappy fun superhero movie that would be a bigger blockbuster hit than Batman v Superman.
The runtime is one of the primary reasons why the film was so negatively received. There wasn't enough time to fully flesh out either the narrative or the characters, and it makes almost no sense, especially compared to Zack Snyder's Justice League.
9 Suicide Squad (2016) - 123 Minutes
Suicide Squad is better than the sequel in many ways, as it cleverly tied in Batman and the Flash, and it introduced Harley Quinn who quickly became an iconic movie anti-hero. The movie throws a lot into its fairly lean two-hour runtime too. The Joker's backstory, Harley Quinn's origins, and the squad's mission at hand all have their fair share of screen time.
Though it clocks in at a breezy two hours, Suicide Squad is another example of Warner Bros. meddling with the footage. Just like they did with the "Snyder Cut," fans have been clamoring for the "Ayer Cut." There's apparently a whole movie's worth of footage of the Joker that wasn't even used. So another four-hour epic like Zack Snyder's Justice League in the DCEU isn't completely out of the question.
8 Shazam! (2019) - 132 Minutes
Though superhero movies tend to be getting longer and longer, especially movies in the DCEU, Shazam is much closer to the two-hour mark. But for the type of movie it is, that still seems a little long considering that it's the most family-friendly movie in the universe.
However, regardless of whether or not it's too long for kids, Shazam is still the best DCEU movie. The 2019 movie is the most coherent in the franchise, it has the most comedy while still maintaining some sort of stakes, and it has a charismatic leading hero. But more than anything, unlike many other movies in the DCEU, it hasn't been criticized for outstaying its welcome.
7 The Suicide Squad (2021) - 132 Minutes
If any potential viewer got a quick look at the poster that lists its impressive cast, they'd think The Suicide Squad is much longer than it actually is. The James Gunn-directed movie is packed full of characters, and some are completely plucked out of comic book obscurity. But all of the unique characters helped it become the best DCEU movie of 2021.
Given how many of them have fairly short lifespans, the movie would barely reach two hours if it wasn't for the long end credits. Ironically, where people think most DCEU movies could be shorter, The Suicide Squad had a reverse effect on critics, as many would have preferred it to be longer.
6 Wonder Woman (2017) - 141 Minutes
War movies generally tend to have the longest runtimes of any other genre. Director David Lean's one-two punch of The Bridge Over River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia comes in at 161 minutes and 227 minutes respectively, and those are just two examples. But even though Wonder Woman takes place during World War I, it has a more DCEU-like runtime.
It would have been great to see a three-hour Wonder Woman war epic, especially as Patty Jenkins is so great at directing action. The war-based setting is part of what makes it the best movie in the DCEU according to Rotten Tomatoes.
5 Aquaman (2018) - 143 Minutes
Though two hours and 23 minutes is pushing it when it comes to superhero movies, not many people complained about the length of Aquaman. That's mostly thanks to the charisma of Jason Mamoa and his ability to carry the movie in such an effortless way.
There may have been one too many money shots of Balboa posing on rocks overlooking the ocean that could have cut the runtime down by a couple of minutes. However, outside of that, the movie is fast-paced and succinctly moves from one engaging but goofy set piece to the next.
4 Man Of Steel (2013) - 143 Minutes
Man of Steel marks the very first movie in the DCEU (and the SnyderVerse), and though the film is polarizing, it at least let audiences know what kind of tone the universe was going for. Not just that, but it was the first of many epics in the series with its huge CGI battles and, of course, its runtime.
Even with the runtime, the movie still covers a lot of ground in that time, including Jor-El's feud with General Zod on Krypton. But given how every following movie in the DCEU that Zack Snyder has directed has been at least 2.5 hours, it's almost like the director was holding back a little with Man of Steel. Although the almost-45-minute final fight scene might beg to differ.
3 Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - 151 Minutes
It's no secret that Wonder Woman 1984 didn't live up to the hype, and part of that was because it had impossible expectations set by its beloved predecessor. However, along with being unnecessarily cheesy and theatrical, it was also long in the tooth at just over two and a half hours.
But just like the first movie in the series, the sequel is a period action film, only instead of the 1910s, it's the 1980s. The vibrant costume and set designs look so great and are enough to carry the 2.5-hour movie alone.
2 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) - 152 Minutes
It's no surprise that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is over 2.5 hours. The film sees two god-like heroes go head-to-head, but it also has the job of building the world and introducing Wonder Woman.
But in a movie called Batman v Superman, the two iconic heroes fight for less than ten minutes, and that still leaves a remaining two hours and 20 minutes of movie. It's almost the opposite of Man of Steel, a movie where Superman and Zod fight for almost 45 straight minutes, and the one film where fans wanted to see that, it didn't happen.
1 Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - 242 Minutes
Zack Snyder's Justice League isn't just the longest movie in the DCEU, but it's longer than any gangster or war epic, as it sits at a full four hours in length. The result of a fan-led Twitter campaign isn't even the "Snyder Cut" that they demanded, but instead, it's a whole new entity.
The 2021 movie has more than two hours of brand new footage that gives the characters better story arcs and smooths some of the theatrical cuts' rough edges. It even managed to reach that epic runtime despite removing every bit of footage from the original that was directed by Joss Whedon, and the result is a fascinating world-building epic.