Although having a movie marathon can sometimes be accidental, there is nothing better than planning to spend all day watching films. If you have a lot of time on your hands this weekend, or are just looking for a relaxing activity to share with friends, you can never go wrong with watching hours upon hours of films in a row.
There are a lot of different types of movie marathons you can watch, but some of the best ones are done one franchise at a time. To help you plan yourself a marathon of cinema, we've gathered together 10 of the best options below as well as total runtimes for all of the movies combined.
Fast and Furious Movies
With the arrival of Fast X, there are now officially 13 Fast and Furious movies. Nobody could have guessed that something that started as a series of racing movies would become a never ending franchise that even goes to space, but here we are. If you’re looking for an action-fueled movie marathon that is all about family, the Fast and Furious films should be right up your alley.
If you’re looking to watch the entire franchise in a weekend, all of the films together take almost 23 and half hours. Take a look at our guide to the Fast and furious movies in order for more info.
Lord of the Rings Movies
One of the most classic movie marathons is the original LotR trilogy. The epic fantasy story, based on J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books, has become a timeless classic. You can also include all 3 of the Hobbit movies and season 1 of Amazon’s Ring of Power if you want to binge the whole franchise.
All 6 of the feature-length films take about 19 and a half hours to watch when you combine runtimes. Add in Rings of Power episodes and there’s another 9 hours and 20 minutes of content. Take a look at our guide to the Lord of the Rings in order for more info.
Star Wars Movies
Star Wars is another one of those franchises that is seemingly just getting started. With the first season of Ahsoka happening right now and a ton of upcoming Star Wars projects, the series is growing at an exponential rate. There have been a total of 11 Star Wars movies released so far with more on the way. And if you factor in animated movies, episodes of The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and more, the timeline gets even longer.
If you want to do a movie marathon with just the live-action films, you’re looking at a total runtime of just over 25 hours. See our guide to all Star Wars movies and shows in order for more information about the timeline.
Pirates of the Caribbean Movies
Out of all of the pirate movies out there, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are the only ones to become a true franchise. There are a total of 5 feature-length films in the series, all of which feature Johnny Depp’s roguish and charming Jack Sparrow. We are still waiting on a release date for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but in the meantime you can still marathon all of the movies in one day.
Watching all 5 of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in a row will take just a little over 12 hours.
Jurassic Park Movies
There are surprisingly few really good Dinosaur movies out there, so if you’re in the mood for a Dinosaur marathon, the Jurassic Park films are your best option. There are a total of 6 feature-length movies in the franchise as well as a couple of short films and an animated Netflix series. The two trilogies are split into the Jurassic Park movies and the Jurassic World movies, but they all exist on the same timeline.
If you’re planning on watching all of the movie at once, the combined runtimes are just a little over 10 hours. You can see our guide on the Jurassic Park movies in order for more info and where to watch the films.
Indiana Jones Movies
Indiana Jones is a movie franchise that spans over 4 decades, but only has 5 total movies in the series. With the latest film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, coming out this summer it’s a great time to dive back into the series. And if you’re planning on doing a Harrison Ford movie marathon, Indiana Jones is an excellent starting point as well.
You can potentially watch All of the Indiana Jones movies in one day, with a total combined runtime of just over 10 hours for all 5 films.
The Conjuring Movies
The Conjuring universe is surprisingly large, and if you’re just entering the series for the first time, it can be a pretty confusing timeline. There are a total of 8 movies in the franchise so far, with a 9th one arriving on September 8. This list includes The Conjuring films, Annabelle movies, and The Nun.
If you include all 8 movies and the 5 shorts in your streaming marathon, you can potentially watch all of the Conjuring movies in just under 14 and a half hours. You can realistically catch up on the whole story ahead of The Nun 2 in just a weekend.
X-Men Movies
Before Marvel movies became the MCU, the X-Men franchise reigned supreme. With 13 movies currently in the timeline, and Deadpool 3 arriving sometime in the future, you can never go wrong with a good X-Men marathon. The chronological order of the franchise gets a bit wonky when you start factoring in time jumps and the Deadpool movies, but you can also just follow the Wolverine timeline for a shorter binge.
If you remove the Deadpool movies from the list, you can watch all of the X-Men movies in just over 22 hours. Though you’ll likely want to include Deadpool, because it’s Deadpool.
Transformers Movies
With a new Transformers movie this year it’s a good time to dive into a Transformers movie marathon in 2023. There are now a total of 7 feature-length films in the franchise, and all of them offer the action, explosions, and humor you can expect from Michael Bay. Transformer: Rise of the Beasts actually takes place earlier on in the timeline, so you watch it first and then move on to the original film shortly after.
If you want to watch all of the Transformers movies from start to finish, it will take you just a little over 16 and half hours to do so. This one is perfect for filling two days of a weekend with some sweet Transformers action.
Planet of the Apes Movies
If you’re in the mood for a classic sci-fi movie binge that isn’t Star Wars, the Planet of the Apes movies are absolutely worth your time. There are actually a total of 9 films in the franchise, and a tenth film is on the way in 2024. Although the new prequel films are not connected to the original series, and there are technically 3 timelines, it’s still a fun movie marathon filled with our ape overlords.
While we don’t have the exact time it would take you to get through all of the Planet of the Apes movies, the sheer volume of films would realistically put you within a comfortable 2-day binge zone. You can also just stream the new prequel films and finish in a single day.
Harry Potter Movies
Although the Fantastic Beast series went a bit off the rails at the end there, the Harry Potter movies in general are still one of the best movie marathons you can have. Filled with magic, wonder, and Weasleys, the Harry Potter universe is solidified in many adults who grew up reading the books. There was even a new game, Hogwarts Legacy, which brought fans to a time way before any of the movies happened.
If you want to exclude the Fantastic Beasts movies from your streaming marathon, you can get through all 8 of the Harry Potter movies in just under 20 hours. Adding in the prequel films will add another 6 hours and 49 minutes to that total.
