Martin Scorsese Defends 3.5-Hour Runtime for “Killers of the Flower Moon”: 'Give Cinema Some Respect'

"People say it's three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours," Scorsese said of his new movie's runtime

Martin Scorsese is making his case for why moviegoers shouldn't blink at Killers of the Flower Moon's lengthy runtime.

In a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, Scorsese, 80, insisted that his latest movie "should be seen on the big screen" as he was asked about Apple TV+'s release plan for the film, which will land on the streaming service after its theatrical run begins Oct. 20.

"Are we intending to make a blockbuster? No, we're making a movie, which should watched on the big screen. Other pictures I made? Maybe not. Sometimes, it's the strength of the picture too, if it plays well on a smaller screen, that's interesting," the filmmaker said.

Scorsese, whose last narrative feature The Irishman also ran at three hours and 29 minutes long, puts his longtime collaborators Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio together for the first time in the new film, which is based on David Grann's 2017 bestselling book of the same name.

"Killers could play on a small screen, but in order to truly immerse yourself, you should take out the time," Scorsese continued. "People say it's three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours. Also, there are many people who watch theater for 3.5 hours. There are real actors on stage, you can't get up and walk around."

Related: Killers of the Flower Moon Cast Discuss Using 'Authentic' Osage Language in New Clip (Exclusive)

"You give it that respect, give cinema some respect," he added to the outlet.

The new movie depicts a period of time in the 1920s known as the Reign of Terror among members of the Osage Nation and follows the true story of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an unlikely couple that married after Burkhart moved to Oklahoma in hopes of striking it rich in the Osage oil boom.

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At that time, Native American people living on Oklahoma's Osage Reservation financially prospered from the oil found on their land — until white residents orchestrated a series of killings targeting the Osage people, including against Kyle's family members.

During Scorsese's recent interview with the Hindustan Times, the filmmaker also spoke to how he reworked the movie's script to better center its Osage characters.

Related: Leonardo DiCaprio Calls Out Hollywood's 'Checkered Past' with Depiction of Native American People

"Finding the story of the Osage was to represent almost all the indigenous people of the world taken advantage of, or at least coming into conflict with overbearing civilizations of another culture," he said. Those who have been colonized, or even pushed away completely."

The film's ensemble cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepard, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.

Killers of the Flower Moon releases in theaters Oct. 20.

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