20 Legendary Long Movies Everybody Should Watch at Least Once According to Stacker

Despite the arduous run time of many blockbusters and meditative indie films, long movies aren't a recent phenomenon—epics, especially of the historical and biblical variety, used to be far more recurrent until the "Cleopatra" disaster of 1963 (which will be detailed, in part, on this list). Sometimes the movie calls for a long run time because that is the nature of the story being told, whether that's wrapping up numerous character arcs of a multisaga franchise like the conclusion to Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Avengers: Endgame"; attempting to impart the legacy of a near-mythic historical figure as with "Oppenheimer"; or simply because the director can, and wants to, stretch out a story as much as possible and show off awe-inspiring tech in the process, like in Peter Jackson's "King Kong" remake. Here are Stacker's picks as the best three-hour plus films based on highest domestic U.S. earnings.