Thefinal season ofGame of Thronesis expected to be epic, but it won’t be six-feature-length-films epic, according to information released by HBO regarding the running time of the season 8’s episodes.
Long rumored to be a season of full-length features that would close out the blockbuster series’ run, season 8 ofGame of Throneswill actually clock in at an average episode length of 72 minutes. Although that’s longer than the show’s typical episode running time of under 60 minutes, it still falls short of the feature-length 90-120 minutes some reports indicated for thefinal six episodes of the series.
As initially reported byEntertainment Weekly, the running time for the final six episodes ofGame of Throneswill max out at 82 minutes for episode 3, with the shortest episode — the season 8 premiere — clocking in at 54 minutes. HBO released a breakdown of running times and air dates for the season that offered the following information:
Season 8, episode 1
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, April 14
Estimated running time: 0:54
Season 8, episode 2
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, April 21
Estimated running time: 0:58
Season 8, episode 3
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, April 28
Estimated running time: 1:22
Season 8, episode 4
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, May 5
Estimated running time: 1:18
Season 8, episode 5
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, May 12
Estimated running time: 1:20
Season 8, episode 6
Debut date: 9 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday, May 19
The rumors regarding a season of feature-length episodesbegan circulating in earnestin January after HBO CEO Richard Plepler said of the season, “It’s a spectacle. The guys have done six movies.
“The reaction I had while watching them was, ‘I’m watching a movie.'” he continued.
Plepler’s comments now seem to have been a mix of hype and more of an assessment of the season’s cinematic tone, not its format. However, with both the cast and creative team indicating that the climactic battle that will decide the fates of theGame of Thronescharacters will rival any movie sequence of that sort, there is reason to be optimistic that season 8 ofGame of Throneswill still feel like a set of movies in one way or another.
