For a graduation story that needed to tie up seven main characters’ arcs, deliver a dozen memorable songs, and justify a theatrical price tag, the hits the sweet spot. It’s long enough to feel like an event, but short enough to rewatch immediately after the credits roll (which, let’s be honest, many fans did in 2008).
This makes it the longest film in the original trilogy, fitting for its leap from the Disney Channel to the big screen. For comparison, the first two movies both clocked in at roughly 1 hour and 38 minutes. The Extended Edition If you are watching the Deluxe Extended Edition on Blu-ray or DVD, the runtime increases to 1 hour and 57 minutes (117-118 minutes). high school musical 3 runtime
A casual viewer might assume an extra 15 to 30 minutes of runtime simply means more dialogue. However, in a musical, time is money, and that extra time was largely poured into the production scale. For a graduation story that needed to tie
To see how successful the runtime is, one can compare it to other musicals of the era. The 2007 movie version of Hairspray was 1 hour 57 minutes. Mamma Mia! (2008) was 1 hour 48 minutes. High School Musical 3 slots right into the standard expectations for a studio musical. For comparison, the first two movies both clocked
: The original version shown in theaters is approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes (112 minutes).