10 Director's Cuts That Are Much Longer Than the Theatrical Cuts, Ranked by Runtime (Collider)

"A director's cut or extended edition can be a blessing, curse, or something in between. Sometimes, the theatrical version of a film and the director's original vision are one and the same, and there's no need for multiple versions. However, in other cases, films are cut down or altered for mass appeal, existing as theatrical versions which are then expanded for theatrical re-release, or as physical media special editions. When it comes to the following movies, all had relatively long original/theatrical editions running 2+ hours. Their runtimes were increased considerably with extended cuts that are either considered director's cuts, or arguably definitive versions. Certain viewers may prefer the shorter versions of some of these films, but one thing can't be disputed: all become considerable epics when recut, with the following extended editions all exceeding three hours, ranked below from shortest to longest." - collider.com