The New York Times' 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century
Organized by Runtime (Shortest to Longest)
Based on The New York Times' 2025 poll of over 500 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals
Movies with Known Runtimes (85 of 100 films)
Shortest Movies (80-99 minutes)
- 80 minutes - #49. Before Sunset (2004) - Richard Linklater
- 82 minutes - #88. The Gleaners and I (2000) - Agnès Varda
- 84 minutes - #53. Borat (2006) - Larry Charles
- 86 minutes - #90. Frances Ha (2012) - Noah Baumbach
- 90 minutes - #57. Best in Show (2000) - Christopher Guest
- 91 minutes - #97. Gravity (2013) - Alfonso Cuarón
- 94 minutes - #85. Anchorman (2004) - Adam McKay
- 95 minutes - #56. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Paul Thomas Anderson
- 96 minutes - #50. Up! (2009) - Pete Docter
- 98 minutes - #4. In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wong Kar-wai
Short Films (100-109 minutes)
- 101 minutes - #63. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Dayton & Faris
- 102 minutes - #30. Lost in Translation (2003) - Sofia Coppola
- 102 minutes - #78. Aftersun (2022) - Charlotte Wells
- 103 minutes - #98. Grizzly Man (2005) - Werner Herzog
- 104 minutes - #8. Get Out (2017) - Jordan Peele
- 104 minutes - #83. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) - Joel & Ethan Coen
- 105 minutes - #12. The Zone of Interest (2023) - Jonathan Glazer
- 105 minutes - #86. Past Lives (2023) - Celine Song
- 106 minutes - #18. Y tu mamá también (2001) - Alfonso Cuarón
- 106 minutes - #60. Whiplash (2014) - Damien Chazelle
- 107 minutes - #76. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - Joel & Ethan Coen
- 108 minutes - #7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Michel Gondry
- 108 minutes - #69. Under the Skin (2013) - Jonathan Glazer
- 108 minutes - #81. Black Swan (2010) - Darren Aronofsky
- 109 minutes - #13. Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarón
Medium-Short Films (110-119 minutes)
- 110 minutes - #21. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - Wes Anderson
- 111 minutes - #5. Moonlight (2016) - Barry Jenkins
- 111 minutes - #61. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino
- 111 minutes - #73. Ratatouille (2007) - Brad Bird
- 111 minutes - #74. The Florida Project (2017) - Sean Baker
- 113 minutes - #62. Memento (2000) - Christopher Nolan
- 113 minutes - #100. Superbad (2007) - Greg Mottola
- 114 minutes - #70. Let the Right One In (2008) - Tomas Alfredson
- 116 minutes - #71. Ocean's Eleven (2001) - Steven Soderbergh
- 117 minutes - #82. The Act of Killing (2012) - Joshua Oppenheimer
- 118 minutes - #54. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - Guillermo del Toro
- 118 minutes - #72. Carol (2015) - Todd Haynes
- 119 minutes - #52. The Favourite (2018) - Yorgos Lanthimos
- 119 minutes - #93. Michael Clayton (2007) - Tony Gilroy
Medium Films (120-129 minutes)
- 120 minutes - #10. The Social Network (2010) - David Fincher
- 120 minutes - #11. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - George Miller
- 120 minutes - #16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Ang Lee
- 120 minutes - #43. Oldboy (2003) - Park Chan-wook
- 121 minutes - #80. Volver (2006) - Pedro Almodóvar
- 122 minutes - #6. No Country for Old Men (2007) - Joel & Ethan Coen
- 122 minutes - #41. Amélie (2001) - Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- 122 minutes - #47. Almost Famous (2000) - Cameron Crowe
- 123 minutes - #91. Fish Tank (2009) - Andrea Arnold
- 125 minutes - #9. Spirited Away (2001) - Hayao Miyazaki
- 127 minutes - #68. The Hurt Locker (2008) - Kathryn Bigelow
- 127 minutes - #75. Amour (2012) - Michael Haneke
- 128 minutes - #66. Spotlight (2015) - Tom McCarthy
- 128 minutes - #95. The Worst Person in the World (2021) - Joachim Trier
Medium-Long Films (130-139 minutes)
- 130 minutes - #15. City of God (2002) - Fernando Meirelles
- 132 minutes - #1. Parasite (2019) - Bong Joon-ho
- 132 minutes - #99. Memories of Murder (2003) - Bong Joon-ho
- 133 minutes - #45. Moneyball (2011) - Bennett Miller
- 134 minutes - #17. Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Ang Lee
- 134 minutes - #51. 12 Years a Slave (2013) - Steve McQueen
- 134 minutes - #96. Black Panther (2018) - Ryan Coogler
- 135 minutes - #46. Roma (2018) - Alfonso Cuarón
- 135 minutes - #58. Uncut Gems (2019) - Josh & Benny Safdie
- 135 minutes - #84. Melancholia (2011) - Lars von Trier
- 137 minutes - #42. The Master (2012) - Paul Thomas Anderson
- 137 minutes - #48. The Lives of Others (2006) - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- 139 minutes - #77. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - Daniels
- 139 minutes - #79. The Tree of Life (2011) - Terrence Malick
Long Films (140-149 minutes)
- 145 minutes - #94. Minority Report (2002) - Steven Spielberg
- 147 minutes - #2. Mulholland Drive (2001) - David Lynch
- 148 minutes - #55. Inception (2010) - Christopher Nolan
- 149 minutes - #64. Gone Girl (2014) - David Fincher
Very Long Films (150-159 minutes)
- 152 minutes - #28. The Dark Knight (2008) - Christopher Nolan
- 153 minutes - #14. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino
- 155 minutes - #92. Gladiator (2000) - Ridley Scott
- 157 minutes - #19. Zodiac (2007) - David Fincher
- 158 minutes - #3. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Paul Thomas Anderson
- 158 minutes - #67. Tár (2022) - Todd Field
Epic Films (160+ minutes)
- 161 minutes - #44. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) - Quentin Tarantino
- 162 minutes - #59. Toni Erdmann (2016) - Maren Ade
- 165 minutes - #23. Boyhood (2014) - Richard Linklater
- 169 minutes - #89. Interstellar (2014) - Christopher Nolan
- 178 minutes - #87. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Peter Jackson
Marathon Films (180 minutes)
- 180 minutes - #20. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Martin Scorsese
- 180 minutes - #65. Oppenheimer (2023) - Christopher Nolan
Summary Statistics
- Shortest Film: Before Sunset (80 minutes)
- Longest Films: The Wolf of Wall Street and Oppenheimer (both 180 minutes)
- Average Runtime: ~123 minutes
- Most Common Runtime Range: 120-129 minutes (14 films)
Notes
- This list includes 85 of the 100 films from the NYT list with confirmed runtimes
- 15 films are missing from this runtime analysis due to incomplete data
- Runtime data sourced from standard theatrical releases
- Some films may have director's cuts or extended versions with different runtimes
The complete New York Times list was compiled from polling over 500 influential directors, actors, and industry professionals worldwide, asking them to vote for the 10 best movies released since January 1, 2000.