How Long Is a Screenplay? Page Counts by Genre and Medium
How long a screenplay should be: 90–120 pages for features, page-per-minute rule, average lengths by genre, and page counts for TV pilots and short films.
A feature screenplay is 90–120 pages long, which translates to a film of roughly 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. The industry shorthand — one page ≈ one minute of screen time — is the number every producer, agent, and contest reader uses to estimate runtime before reading a single scene.
The Quick Answer
| Medium | Typical length | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Feature (comedy) | 90–100 pages | ~90–100 min |
| Feature (drama/thriller) | 100–120 pages | ~100–120 min |
| Feature (epic/action) | 110–125 pages | ~110–135 min |
| TV pilot (half-hour) | 22–35 pages | ~22–35 min |
| TV pilot (one-hour drama) | 50–70 pages | ~42–60 min |
| Short film | under 40 pages | under 40 min |
The One-Page-Per-Minute Rule
Screenplay format is engineered so a page of Courier 12pt text corresponds to about a minute of action on screen:
- Dialogue reads slower than it looks — a 30-line conversation page often plays for 45–60 seconds
- Action-heavy pages can play faster — a half-page car chase might run 20 seconds
- Over a full script these differences average out, which is why the rule survives
The rule depends entirely on standard margins and a monospaced 12pt font. Change either and your page count stops meaning anything.
Page Counts by Genre
Comedy: 90–100 pages
Comedies play fast. Jokes need air, and a comedy over 100 pages usually means the set pieces are over-written.
Drama: 100–120 pages
Dramas carry more scene work, silence, and subplot. 110 pages is the classic target.
Thriller / Horror: 90–110 pages
Horror skews even shorter — 90–95 pages is common, since sustained dread is hard to pace past two hours.
Action / Sci-Fi: 105–125 pages
Set pieces eat description space. Action scripts run long on the page even when the film is normal length.
How Long Is Too Long?
For a spec script (a script written without a deal in place):
- Under 90 pages — readers may worry the story is thin (fine for comedy or horror)
- 90–120 pages — the professional sweet spot
- 120+ pages — you need a compelling reason; many contests and agencies won't read past 120
- 130+ pages — almost always rejected unread unless you have representation
First scripts almost always run long. Cutting from 130 to 110 pages is rarely about deleting scenes — it's about tightening action lines, removing orphan scenes, and merging scenes that do the same thing.
What About TV and Shorts?
- Half-hour pilot — 22–35 pages (streaming half-hours run longer than network ones)
- One-hour drama pilot — 50–70 pages; network hours target ~55 because of ad breaks, streaming pilots can stretch to 65–70
- Short film — under 40 pages; most festival shorts are 5–15 pages
- Web series episode — 5–15 pages
Does Page Count Really Matter for First-Time Writers?
Yes — it's one of the first things a reader checks. A 118-page script gets read; a 145-page script from an unknown writer usually doesn't. The page count on the title page is a promise about the experience of reading you.
Watch your page count live. Scripta shows real-time page count and estimated runtime as you write, so you always know where you stand. Start writing free →
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages is a 2-hour movie?
About 110–120 pages. Using the one-page-per-minute rule, 120 minutes ≈ 120 pages.
Can a screenplay be 80 pages?
Yes for comedy, horror, and animation (animation scripts are often 80–90 pages because visual action is described economically). For drama, 80 pages usually signals a missing B-story or underdeveloped midpoint.
Is 140 pages too long for a screenplay?
For a spec script, yes. Established writers get away with it; unknown writers don't. If the story genuinely needs 140 pages, consider whether a subplot can become its own project.
How long is a screenplay for a 30-minute show?
22–35 pages. Multi-cam sitcoms are shortest (network half-hours run ~22 pages with the double-spaced dialogue convention); single-cam streaming half-hours run 30–35.
How do I estimate runtime while writing?
Divide your page count by one. Then sanity-check: read a scene aloud and time it — most writers discover their dialogue pages run longer than expected.
Related Pages
- Screenplay Margins — what makes the page-per-minute rule work
- Spec Script vs Shooting Script — which draft you're writing
- Title Page Format — where the page count lives
- Outlining — plan the story before counting pages
What Font Are Screenplays Written In?
Screenplays use Courier 12pt — Courier Final Draft, Courier New, or Courier Prime. Here's why monospace matters, which variant to pick, and what never to use.
How to Format a Screenplay Title Page
Standard screenplay title page format — centered title and byline, contact info placement, draft date, and what to leave off. With examples for spec scripts and adaptations.