The longest movie series to binge in lockdown: enjoy up to 1,500 minutes of screen time with these epic film collections

From 'Die Hard' to 'Harry Potter', why not watch some in their entirety this weekend?

Between the 'Star Wars', 'Die Hard' and 'Police Story' movie series, you have 3,059 minutes of screen time to watch, which is two days, two hours and 59 minutes in total. IMDB

You may be embracing another weekend indoors, amid self-isolation regulations to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have some fun. So why not break the back of some of the longest, and most influential, movie series of all time?

With up to 25 hours and 18 minutes of screen time alone in the Star Wars franchise, we have rounded up something for everyone, from kids' favourites to action flicks, Bollywood comedies and a saga set in Middle-earth.

We have deliberately omitted the James Bond series at 26 movies (including the two non-Eon films), which add up to a total runtime of more than 54 hours.

Each of these series will keep you busy for hours, if not days. Just make sure you have enough popcorn in the house.

'Star Wars'

Total running time: 1,502 minutes (25 hours and 18 minutes)

There is, of course, controversy about the order in which you watch the Star Wars films. Whether you choose to explore the galaxy far, far away in the order in which they were made (as they are listed below) or in episodical order, as the purists would have it, the run-time remains the same. It will take you more than 25 hours to complete – that's approximately three full working days, discounting lunch.

Carrie Fisher in 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' (1977). IMDB

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (2h 5m)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (2h 7m)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (2h 14m)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (2h 16m)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2h 22m)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2h 20m)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2h 16m)
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2h 32m)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2h 15m)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2h 22m)

'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies

Total running time: 1,216 minutes (20 hours and 16 minutes)

Like Star Wars, JRR Tolkien fans believe the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies should be watched in story order, so you'd bring The Hobbit movies, which were made later, to the front of your viewing list. However, you don't necessarily need to have seen these to understand what is going on in Lord of the Rings. Regardless, they will keep you tied up for more than 20 hours, so if you're going to account for sleep, that's at least two whole days of entertainment.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001). IMDB

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (3h 28m)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (3h 43m)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (4h 12m)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (3h 2m)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (3h 7m)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2h 44m)

'Harry Potter'

Total running time: 1,180 minutes (19 hours and 40 minutes)

At almost 20 hours, you could spend nearly an entire day with Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts. If you were very keen to make your way through the entire eight-film series in one sitting, you'd need to get up at 6am to be finished by 2am, with only around 20 minutes throughout the day for breaks. So, we'd recommend a natural half-way break after The Goblet of Fire, and returning to the action the following day. That way, you still have 10 hours and 12 minutes of viewing on day one, and 9 hours and 28 minutes on day two.

Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' (2004). IMDB

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2h 32m)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2h 41m)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2h 22m)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2h 37m)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2h 19m)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2h 33m)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part I (2h 26m)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II (2h 10m)

'Police Story'

Total running time: 947 minutes (15 hours and 47 minutes)

Hong Kong cinema's Police Story series comprises six official films plus three spin-offs: Supercop, Supercop 2 and Crime Story. The films all star Jackie Chan, who considers the first movie, Police Story, his best in terms of "action and stunts".

Jackie Chan in 'Police Story' (1985). IMDB

Police Story (1h 39m)
Police Story 2 (1h 32m)
Supercop (1h 36m)
Crime Story (1h 47m)
Supercop 2 (1h 44m)
First Strike (1h 47m)
New Police Story (2h 3m)
Police Story: Lockdown (1h 50m)
Bleeding Steel (1h 49m)

'Rocky'

Total running time: 909 minutes (15 hours and 9 minutes)

The most famous boxing saga follows Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, comprising gripping dramas that have more heart that your average sports flick.

Sylvester Stallone and Michael B Jordan in 'Creed' (2015). IMDB

Rocky (2h 2m)
Rocky II (2h)
Rocky III (1h 40m)
Rocky IV (1h 31m)
Rocky V (1h 51m)
Rocky Balboa (1h 42m)
Creed (2h 13m)
Creed II (2h 10m)

Marvel's Avengers ensemble movies

Total running time: 624 minutes (10 hours and 24 minutes)

If you were to do an entire Marvel movie marathon, you’d be busy for 2,905 minutes, which is 48 hours and 25 minutes. So we have trimmed the list down to focus on Avengers ensemble movies only, without the character break-out films. All in, that still gives you a healthy day’s worth of entertainment, with a runtime of roughly 10 and a half hours. And when you’re done, there are another 19 movies to watch in the collection.

'Avengers: Endgame' is the last in the current ensemble films. AP

Avengers (2h 23m)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2h 21m)
Avengers: Infinity War (2h 40m)
Avengers: Endgame (3h 2n)

'Die Hard'

Total running time: 610 minutes (10 hours and 18 minutes)

If you're looking for action, you'll get it in spades in Die Hard. Bruce Willis stars as reluctant hero Detective Lieutenant John McClane in all five films. You'll want to brush up on the action to be ready for the sixth instalment, McClane, which Willis is rumoured to be starring in.

Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' (1988). IMDB

Die Hard (2h 12m)
Die Hard 2 (2h 5m)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (2h 11m)
Live Free or Die Hard – Die Hard 4.0 (2h 9m)
A Good Day to Die Hard (1h 41m)

'Golmaal'

Total running time: 580 minutes (9 hours and 40 minutes)

For some light-hearted movie fun, check the Bollywood comedy series, Golmaal. Made up of comedies of disaster, the films all star Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor as Gopal, Madhav and Lucky. The gang are set to get together for a fifth time in Golmaal Five, which will be released next year.

'Golmaal: Fun Unlimited' (2006). IMDB

Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2h 30m)
Golmaal Returns (2h 15m)
Golmaal 3 (2h 35m)
Golmaal Again (2h 20m)

'Housefull'

Total running time: 574 minutes (9 hours and 34 minutes)

The popular Bollywood comedy series Housefull stars Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh. The films have a reincarnation theme, with new stories and adventures but the same core cast each time.

'Housefull 4' (2019). IMDB

Housefull (2h 24m)
Housefull 2 (2h 25m)
Housefull 3 (2h 20m)
Housefull 4 (2h 25m)

‘The Hunger Games’

Total running time: 548 minutes (9 hours and 8 minutes)

The movie adaptions of Suzanne Collins’s series of dystopian novels follow Katniss Everdeen, a young woman who voluntarily takes her sister's place in a fight to the death. At a nine-hour runtime, the series will certainly keep you busy for a full day.

Jennifer Lawrence in 'The Hunger Games'. Courtesy Lionsgate

The Hunger Games (2h 22m)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2h 26m)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2h 3m)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2h 17m)

'Indiana Jones'

Total running time: 485 minutes (8 hours and 5 minutes)

These are the movies that made archaeology adventurous. Watch as Harrison Ford gets himself in plenty of trouble as he explores ancient ruins as the titular character.

'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. 1989

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1h 55m)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1h 58m)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (2h 8m)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2h 4m)

'Elements'

Total running time: 335 minutes (5 hours and 35 minutes)

The Elements series by Deepa Mehta is a bastion of Indian cinema. The controversial three-part series was made between 1996 and 2005, and covers topics ranging from patriarchal culture and religion to marriage and race. It has one of the shorter combined times, at 335 minutes, but it would be a great way to spend more than five and a half hours of your day.

'Water' (2005) from Deepa Mehta's 'Elements' trilogy. IMDB

Fire (1h 48m)
Earth (1h 50m)
Water (1h 57m)

'The Hangover'

Total running time: 302 minutes (5 hours and 2 minutes)

If you’re looking for silliness, the antics of four friends on a bachelor party in Las Vegas should fit the bill. Their antics then take them to Bangkok and on a road trip in the subsequent movies. At little more than five hours' viewing time, you could get this done in an afternoon.

Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms in 'The Hangover' (2009). IMDB

The Hangover (1h 40m)
The Hangover Part II (1h 42m)
The Hangover Part III (1h 40m)

Note: That movies vary by cut, and special editions may have slightly different run times

_____________

Read more: 

From 'Casablanca' to 'Spartacus': 21 classic films to watch in lockdown

What are UAE audiences streaming while self-isolating? From mysteries, to pandemic-themed shows and animations

Wholesome feel-good films to watch on the sofa this weekend

_____________