If a new report is to be believed, The New Mutants will have a shorter runtime than any other X-Men or MCU film. Originally shot way back in 2017, The New Mutants was shaping up to be the next in a long line of successful X-Men superhero spin-offs that paid no mind to canon or the interconnected superhero universes. Logan and Deadpool were the biggest hits in the X-Men franchises by a wide margin, with fans and critics alike appreciating the adult storytelling in the former and the in-your-face humor of the latter. While not armed with an R-rating, The New Mutants could have been the next outside-the-box hit for Fox's otherwise stagnant X-Men film franchise.
Unfortunately, the movie still hasn't been seen by wide audiences. First, the movie was scheduled to undergo reshoots that ultimately never happened. Then, the film was caught in the middle of Disney's purchase of Fox assets, leaving the fate of the film completely up in the air. Rumors persisted for years The New Mutants would be dumped onto Hulu or another streaming service, but all involved, including director Josh Boone, seemed committed to the film releasing in theaters at some point. Recently, The New Mutants was finally scheduled for release on April 3, 2020, but it was then removed from the schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world. The film is currently without a release date.
Josh Boone's final cut of The New Mutants is completed. The film is done. With that in mind, the website for Consumer Protection lists the film's running time as 94 minutes, shorter than most other comic book movies, and shorter than earlier reports that placed the film's runtime at a slightly longer 99 minutes.
The New Mutants is said to have the flavor of a young adult novel mixed with a horror movie. Horror movies tend to err on the side of brevity, frequently clocking in at around the 90-minute mark. Additionally, earlier reports of the film's runtime may have factored in the inclusion of a post-credits scene involving actor Antonio Banderas, who was expected to play a large part in propsed New Mutants sequels. Since reshoots never took place, Banderas never shot a scene for the film, so perhaps scenes alluding to his character were removed in the editing process, thus pushing the runtime down even further.
There's an argument to be made that modern blockbusters are too long. Avengers: Endgame is universally adored, but it's also three hours long. The Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice also clocks in at three hours. Some movies can sustain themselves for such a long runtime, but others frequently feel bogged down by superfluous storylines and unnecessary characters. Sometimes, a great movie only needs 90-or-so minutes to get in, make its point, and get out, leaving the audience wanting more. Hopefully, The New Mutants will prove to be worth the wait when it eventually releases, presumably before the end of 2020.
Source: Consumer Protection