Rotten Tomatoes has curated a list of the 50 greatest films that exceed three hours in runtime.

For some viewers, a runtime of around three hours can be a major deterrent—especially if they're stuck in a theater with no opportunity to pause for a bathroom break. On the other hand, for others, a lengthy duration can be seen as a valid reason to invest both time and money into a cinematic experience. As CNN points out, it’s the massive franchise hits and superhero blockbusters—the very genres that dominate the box office—that are becoming longer these days. 

However, long movies are hardly a new trend. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ ranking of films over three hours, 33 of the top 50 were released prior to 2000. The top film, Akira Kurosawa's 207-minute masterpiece Seven Samurai, debuted in 1954. Other iconic films in the list include Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Spartacus (1960), Ben-Hur (1959), and Gone With the Wind (1939).

Kurosawa isn't the only globally renowned filmmaker known for lengthy movies. At number three is Ingmar Bergman’s 1982 period piece Fanny and Alexander, which runs for 188 minutes (with a 512-minute version that aired as a miniseries in Sweden). Directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, and David Lean each have two films in the top 50. 

The climaxes of some beloved film franchises earned enough critical acclaim to secure top spots—most notably, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. And of course, no list of lengthy films would be complete without Titanic: The 1997 cultural phenomenon secured 35th place.

Check if your favorite movie made the top 50 below, and be sure to explore Rotten Tomatoes’ full list of 100 here.

1. Seven Samurai (1954) // 100 percent
2. O.J.: Made in America (2016) // 100 percent
3. Fanny and Alexander (1982) // 100 percent
4. Schindler's List (1993) // 98 percent
5. The Leopard (1963) // 98 percent
6. Children of Paradise (1945) // 98 percent
7. The Godfather, Part II (1974) // 96 percent
8. An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) // 96 percent
9. The Right Stuff (1983) // 96 percent
10. The Last of the Unjust (2013) // 96 percent
11. The Irishman (2019) // 95 percent
12. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) // 95 percent
13. Short Cuts (1993) // 95 percent
14. Hamlet (1996) // 95 percent
15. Andrei Rublev (1966) // 95 percent
16. Avengers: Endgame (2019) // 94 percent
17. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) // 94 percent
18. The Best of Youth (2002) // 94 percent
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) // 93 percent
20. Apocalypse Now Redux (1979) // 93 percent
21. Carlos (2010) // 93 percent
22. Spartacus (1960) // 93 percent
23. Norte, The End of History (2013) // 93 percent
24. Kwaidan (1964) // 91 percent
25. Eureka (2000) // 91 percent
26. Gone With the Wind (1939) // 90 percent
27. Reds (1981) // 90 percent
28. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) // 89 percent
29. The Deer Hunter (1978) // 89 percent
30. The Last Emperor (1987) // 89 percent
31. Malcolm X (1992) // 89 percent
32. Barry Lyndon (1975) // 88 percent
33. Giant (1956) // 88 percent
34. Napoleon (1927) // 88 percent
35. Titanic (1997) // 87 percent
36. Winter Sleep (2014) // 87 percent
37. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) // 87 percent
38. Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) // 86 percent
39. The Ten Commandments (1956) // 86 percent
40. JFK (1991) // 85 percent
41. Gandhi (1982) // 85 percent
42. Ben-Hur (1959) // 85 percent
43. King Kong (2005) // 84 percent
44. Grindhouse (2007) // 84 percent
45. Doctor Zhivago (1965) // 84 percent
46. Magnolia (1999) // 83 percent
47. Dances With Wolves (1990) // 83 percent
48. Fiddler on the Roof (1971) // 83 percent
49. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) // 79 percent
50. The Green Mile (1999) // 79 percent