The runtime of Dune: Part One, as it is now being referred to, has been revealed. In doing press for the movie, one of the websites has cited the running time of Dune as being 155 minutes. That’s 2 hours 35 minutes, not a super lengthy running time along the lines of say, The Lord of the Rings but not as short as the under 2 hour mark that some fans may have feared it to be.
Honestly, the running time still seems small given what Dune has to cover as material. Having said that, it’s important to note that this is only the first part’s running time, covering roughly half the book. And it’s in line with films that have tackled some more ambitious storytelling off late, including the Avengers films, The Dark Knight and even Villeneuve’s own Blade Runner 2049. With the right editing, it should be possible to squeeze in a lot into this film.
Dune arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22, 2021. Let me know if you feel this running time is short, long or just right in the comments below.