Clear Your Schedule: Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Could Run 281 Minutes

We have been waiting two decades for Quentin Tarantino to stitch Kill Bill back into the single, blood-soaked epic he meant it to be. The wait is almost over — and the new cut might be longer than anyone expected.

The Whole Bloody Affair hits theaters December 5

Lionsgate is taking Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair to theaters on December 5. Quick refresher: Tarantino originally made Kill Bill as one movie, but Miramax split it into Volume 1 (2003) and Volume 2 (2004) rather than drop a four-plus-hour monster in one go. Fans have been chasing the unified cut ever since.

About that runtime...

A complete version screened at Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema years back at 248 minutes, and that number included a 15-minute intermission. Now, multiple theater listings peg Lionsgate's release at 281 minutes — 4 hours and 41 minutes. That is 33 minutes longer than the New Beverly version. Why? No one is saying yet. It could be as simple as a longer intermission, but the optimistic read is that there is more footage folded in than we knew about. Yes, it's long. And yes, I will sit through every minute.

What is new (and what is different)

• The cliffhanger at the end of Volume 1 is gone, and Volume 2's recap at the top is out — because this plays as one continuous movie now.
• There is a brand-new 7.5-minute animated sequence that has never been shown publicly.
• The Crazy 88 showdown — which was partially in black and white back in 2003 to dodge an NC-17 — now plays in full color.
• The unified cut is unrated and includes a proper, old-school intermission.
• Tarantino wants it shown on film: expect Glorious 70mm or 35mm engagements where possible.

"I wrote and directed it as one movie, and I'm so glad to give the fans the chance to see it as one movie," Tarantino said. "The best way to see Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is at a movie theater in Glorious 70mm or 35mm. Blood and guts on a big screen in all its glory!"

Story check and cast roll call

If you need a refresher: Uma Thurman stars as the Bride, left for dead after her ex-boss and ex-lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, puts a bullet in her head, and takes her unborn child. She works her way through the remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad to get to Bill. It's Tarantino leaning into operatic revenge-movie maximalism, and this version is meant to reflect how he wanted that arc to play from the first frame to the last.

Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Michael Parks, Daryl Hannah, Sonny Chiba, Chiaki Kuriyama, and more.

Do not hold your breath for a disc

As for a home release: don't count on it soon. Tarantino just shot that idea down a few months ago. His stance is pretty clear — once a movie is in your hand or a click away, it loses some of its mystique. He wants this to be a thing you go out and experience, not a file you queue. Translation: if you want to see The Whole Bloody Affair, you're waiting for a theatrical booking.

Bottom line: December 5, big screen, possibly 281 minutes. Bring snacks and a strong bladder.