The New York Times reports that after seeing a version of the film in late September at Mr. Jackson's studio in New Zealand, Universal executives agreed to release "King Kong" at a length of three hours.
Problem though - the extra length has helped increase the budget by a third, to $207 million, while requiring the studio, to reach for the kind of long-term audience interest that made hits out of three-hour movies like "Titanic" and Jackson's "Rings" trilogy.
Asked about the length, execs told the paper they saw it as an advantage in an era when jaded moviegoers are hungering for something extraordinary.
Thanks to 'Dust Bunny'
