Guinness World records states that the longest movie marathon was 121 hours and 18 minutes, and took place in 2015 in South Africa. That is an amazing achievement. But if you look around the Internet, others have claimed longer movie marathons. The biggest claim I’ve found on the internet is a 200 hour movie marathon! Are all of these “Guinness World Records”? What does it take to have a “Guinness World Record” anyway?
I decided to get to the bottom of the issue and contact Guinness World Records on Facebook. They responded to me and said that their record still stands. The longer movie marathons, such as the 200 hour marathon, may not have made qualified for a Guinness world record for a variety of reasons. The participants may not have submitted evidence substantiating their claim to Guinness, or the movie marathon may not have followed the movie marathon record guidelines.
In order to beat the Guinness World Record for movie marathons, you need to follow specific rules. These are hardcore rules. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t followed. This article on SlashFilm describes what you need to do:
Guinness World Records rules require the contestants to watch films non-stop without averting their eyes from the screen. Competitors will be given 10 minutes between each movie, or approximately every two hours, to refresh themselves. Eating, drinking, standing and stretching are allowed as long as eyes are on the screen.
Those are some brutal rules. I get up and avert my eyes from the screen all the time. Usually it is so I can talk to my fellow movie goers, or just to take a lap around the room to stay awake. I think I’ll stay an amateur!
A 200-hour movie marathon may have taken place in Bolivia, as claimed. But, for one reason or another, it was never verified by Guinness. However, the door is always open to submitting new evidence to the Guinness World Records! If you are going to be the next one to try, I wish you good luck!
UPDATED: Updated in 2017 for the new world record.