# Why don't movies have Intermissions anymore?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** movies
**Created:** [August 10, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546 "2024-08-10T18:34:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/21 "2024-08-10T23:41:06Z")
Fittingly, I’ll be attending a screening of **Lawrence of Arabia** tomorrow. I hope they keep the traditional intermission at the two-hour mark.
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### Author:  [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/22 "2024-08-10T23:55:09Z")
Movies I recall seeing that had intermissions:
“Larence of Arabia”
“Doctor Zhivago”
“The Ten Commandments”
“Gone With the Wind”
“The Sound of Music”
And possibly, though I don’t remember:
“Grand Prix”
“2001: A Space Odyssey”
“The Bible”
In high school I worked at a theater that showed Julie Andrews’ 1968 mega-bomb “Star!” in its full-length “Roadshow” release. That movie was so bad, the intermission gave people an excuse to leave! I saw it up to intermission dozens of times but only once all the way through.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/23 "2024-08-11T00:07:56Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> let’s all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm6IU6V-dE8)
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### Author:  [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/24 "2024-08-11T00:48:43Z")
“Ben-Hur” (forgot about that one)
“El Cid” (and that one)
“Fiddler on the Roof” (Roadshow release had an intermission; General release did not.)
This reminds me of an old joke:
“Did you see ‘The Bible’?”
“No, I read the book.”
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/25 "2024-08-11T01:08:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Are many films today over two hours?
Of the three _The Lord of the Rings_ films (released in 2001-2003), the first two were just a minute or two under 3 hours, and the third was 3:20.
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### Author:  [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/26 "2024-08-11T01:18:06Z")
I’ve never been to a movie with an intermission. When was that common?
Seems like a good way to make the experience significantly worse. I probably would never go to the theater again if they stopped in the middle so they could try to sell you more and break the flow/immersion of the movie.
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### Author:  [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/27 "2024-08-11T01:22:24Z")
I used to see a lot of movies at drive-ins. They might show two or three movies with short pauses between them. Obviously that isn’t quite the same thing.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/28 "2024-08-11T01:23:48Z")
The movies I remember with intermissions: How The West Was Won, Around The World In 80 Days and It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/29 "2024-08-11T01:27:45Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> I’ve never been to a movie with an intermission. When was that common?
“Common,” probably the 1960s. This article indicates that the last major film to officially include an intermission in its theatrical release was _Gandhi_, in 1982.
> **[Movies Are Too Long. We Need Intermissions Back.](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a43250070/movie-intermissions-why-bring-back/)**
>
> Please, for the sake of our bladders.
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### Author:  [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/30 "2024-08-11T01:39:10Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> _I’ve never been to a movie with an intermission. When was that common?_
“Gone With the Wind,” made in 1939, always had an intermission, but that was an exception in that time period. It wasn’t until the 1950s that intermissions caught on, and that was only for “spectaculars,” like those already mentioned. It ramped up in the 1960s and began to die out by the 1970s, even for movies that were longer than average. “The Godfather” clocked in at just under three hours, but I don’t recall it having an intermission, even in its original release.
As Roger Ebert said: " **No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.**"
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### Author:  [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/31 "2024-08-11T01:46:21Z")
when I saw How the West Was Won on TV, they had intermissions 9not commercials)
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/32 "2024-08-11T01:46:36Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> I probably would never go to the theater again if they stopped in the middle so they could try to sell you more and break the flow/immersion of the movie.
Movies/operas/plays often have distinct acts, though. And if the production is 4 hours long, it does not seem completely unreasonable that someone might appreciate the chance to take a piss.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/33 "2024-08-11T01:55:56Z")
“The Agony and the Ecstasy” had an intermission. There is even one on the video release.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/34 "2024-08-11T01:59:20Z")
Be careful what you ask for:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0wOD9TWynM)
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/35 "2024-08-11T02:01:05Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#):
>
> Remember, in the early days of movie theaters, it was quite common to show several different films in one screen (i.e. room) of a movie theater over the period of a day. People would simply pay one ticket price for as long as they wanted to watch all the films shown on that screen on that day.
Well, they still had that when i was a small child. The big theater usually had- The main film, a B Picture, newsreel, a cartoon, a serial, a sing along, and a prize drawing. The main picture showed like twice a day, but as you can see all that took many hours.
> [@XOldiesJock](#):
>
> Movies I recall seeing that had intermissions:
_The Bridge on the River Kwai_ iirc.
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> Of the three _The Lord of the Rings_ films (released in 2001-2003), the first two were just a minute or two under 3 hours, and the third was 3:20.
Well, I watch the extended versions, of course. 3 1/2 hours for the first.
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Seems like a good way to make the experience significantly worse. I
Some of us older dudes bladders wont hold out that long, and back then of course- smokers could not be away from their addiction that long.
> [@blondebear](#):
>
> The movies I remember with intermissions: How The West Was Won, Around The World In 80 Days and It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
All winners, but _How The West Was Won_ kinda drags a bit now.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/36 "2024-08-11T02:03:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Well, I watch the extended versions, of course. 3 1/2 hours for the first.
Same here, though those longer versions weren’t generally released in the theater.
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### Author:  [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/37 "2024-08-11T02:03:55Z")
Like 0.1% of movies are 4 hours long? Fine for those people to have a preference, I just think that’s a tiny minority and that the theater going audience would overwhelmingly prefer not to have intermissions.
Maybe have a separate showing with them?
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/38 "2024-08-11T02:06:02Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Like 0.1% of movies are 4 hours long? Fine for those people to have a preference, I just think that’s a tiny minority and that the theater going audience would overwhelmingly prefer not to have intermissions.
It doesnt have to be 4 hours, but three hours is pushing it for my bladder. Just you wait youngster! 🤪
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### Author:  [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/39 "2024-08-11T04:54:16Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> Growing up the only films I can remember with intermissions were Gone with the Wind, which was incredibly long, and musicals like The Sound of Music.
Also (but not limited to):
Lawrence of Arabia
2001: A Space Odyssey
Gandhi
Ben Hur
Dr. Zhivago
Seven Samurai
Spartacus
Now that people mostly watch movies at home, there’s less need for intermissions, even for long films. You can stop the movie anytime you want, for a pee break, a snack break, or any other reason.
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### Author:  [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2024, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-movies-have-intermissions-anymore/1005546/40 "2024-08-11T07:00:23Z")
I’m in my 40s and I don’t remember any movies with intermissions. I just remember a lot of ads and trailers before them. But 99% of my movie-going was from around 1993-2005. I think the last time I actually went to a theater for a movie I wanted to see was around 2012, and 99% of the movies I saw from 2005-2012 were for my kids.
On the other hand, I have developed some aging ailments - such as the fact that I could easily “hold it” for a good 8-10 hours or so (and could never imagine not being able to sit through a movie) just a few years ago. Now, I don’t want to go anywhere too far from a restroom. I never cared for popcorn or sodas at movies - that was something from external forces (dates, wife, kids - so getting refills never occurred to me as a thing, especially when even 20 years ago they were like gallon buckets of popcorn and 1/2 gallon of soda for 20 bucks or whatever.
Now, perhaps I wouldn’t mind intermission. So my limbs wouldn’t cramp or fall asleep, I won’t get swollen feet, painful groin, etc.
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