8 Big, Long Movies for a Rainy Sunday

Rain all day, nowhere to be. These run from 181 to 242 minutes, and every one earns the couch time. Charge the remote.

Number one is the driest movie here, which is exactly why it works today.

1. 8
   Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)7.4

   It's a double feature pretending to be one movie.

   242 minutes, the longest here, and audiences rank it above 96% of notable movies. Critics stop at 49%. Surprise: Cyborg's story is the best thing in it.
2. 7
   King Kong (2005)7.4

   The ape takes his sweet time, and the wait pays off.

   187 minutes on a reported $207 million budget, and just reaching the island is its own movie. Critics rank it above 83% of notable movies. Jack Black plays a perfect shady showman.
3. 6
   Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)7.8

   Raining outside? Lean in. This one is all water.

   192 minutes, a reported $350 to $460 million, and $2.33 billion worldwide. Every reef and whale looks real. The plot is the first movie again, with fins.
4. 5
   Avengers: Endgame (2019)9.3

   Bring tissues and someone to explain the time travel.

   181 minutes, $2.94 billion worldwide and a 9.3 movie.guru score. The first hour is surprisingly quiet. Then the time heist starts and it turns into a scrapbook.
5. 4
   The Irishman (2019)9.3

   Built for your couch, and the box office proves it.

   It grossed just $968,853 worldwide in theaters, because nearly everyone watched it at home. Critics rank it above 97% of notable movies. 209 minutes of three legends at a slow simmer.
6. 3
   The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)9.4

   Start it after lunch and you'll finish right around dinner.

   201 minutes, an A+ from opening crowds and $1.14 billion worldwide. Andy Serkis opens it with a very creepy fishing trip, and the scale never drops after that.
7. 2
   Seven Samurai (1954)9.8

   Its biggest battle happens in a downpour. Very on theme.

   The movie.guru score is a 9.8, the highest here, and Rotten Tomatoes says 100%. Kurosawa made it in 1954, and the mud, horses and rain still look realer than any CGI army.
8. 1
   Lawrence of Arabia (1962)9.5

   A desert epic is the best cure for rain.

   227 minutes of blazing sun and endless sand, made for a reported $15 million in 1962. Critics rank it above 96% of notable movies. You'll forget it's pouring outside.

$56.47 says the sun comes out halfway through number one and you close the blinds.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it