Thanks to Joe Russo, we now know the official Avengers: Endgame runtime.

We've known for months that the fourth outing for the Earth's Mightiest Heroes is going to be the longest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. While the average runtime for the 21 movies produced by Marvel Studios is around 2 hours and 8 minutes, we heard that the twenty-second movie would clock in at about 3 hours. Just a couple of weeks ago, a theater chain pointed towards the Avengers: Endgame runtime being 3 hours and 2 minutes.

However, Joe Russo, who is at the helm along with his brother Anthony Russo, has confirmed that the movie is a little shorter than that. The co-director suggests that it runs for precisely 3 hours and 58 seconds. Speaking to ComicBook, here's how he addresses the movie's runtime:

I think it’s three hours and fifty eight seconds. We just sped up the credits is what we did [laughs].

Studios usually don't like the idea of their tentpoles running for over two and a half hours. But no one from Disney or Marvel apparently asked the Russos to get rid of some scenes and make the upcoming April 26 release. In a recent interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), Anthony Russo tries to justify the massive Avengers: Endgame runtime in the following manner:

Joe and I like very propulsive storytelling. We like to keep it tight and focused, and to give the audience a thrill ride. But this movie"¦ you know, no one's been pushing us to cut the film. We usually are - we're primarily pushing ourselves"¦ the number of characters, the scope of the story, the fact that it was a conclusion. It's just that everything lined up [so] that it was going to be a difficult story to tell. Meaning that it would require a lot of screen time to tell it properly.

At the moment, Avengers: Endgame is on track for a $200-250 million North American debut, as per a new report by The Hollywood Reporter. But obviously, it could end up bagging more money over the April 26-28 weekend. Remember, early tracking for Avengers: Infinity War pointed towards a domestic opening weekend of $185-225 million. That movie, however, went on to open to $257.6 million. Check out a couple of new promotional artwork for the latest Russo Brothers flick!

What are your thoughts on the official Avengers: Endgame runtime? Does it bother you that the movie is going to be that long? Share via comments and stay tuned for the latest updates!