The Princess Bride runs 98 minutes, or 1 hour and 38 minutes — one disc review lists the precise runtime as 1:38:21. That figure comes from Wikipedia's infobox and Box Office Mojo, and it holds across nearly every home-video release of the film.
Rob Reiner directed the fantasy-adventure, which opened in U.S. theaters on September 25, 1987, according to Box Office Mojo's release records. The sections below cover why the runtime stays consistent, what happens during the end credits, and which disc or streaming version to choose.
Table of Contents
- Why the Runtime Has Never Changed
- What Plays During the End Credits
- Which Disc Version Should You Buy?
- Where to Stream It Now
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why the Runtime Has Never Changed
No extended cut, director's cut, or alternate theatrical version of The Princess Bride exists. Every disc and streaming release traces back to the same 98-minute feature.
The MGM 25th Anniversary Blu-ray, released October 2, 2012, lists the film at that same 1:38:21 running time, confirming the cut sold on home video matches the original theatrical release (HomeTheaterForum's review of the MGM Blu-ray). The Criterion Collection's 2023 4K restoration is a new transfer built from the studio's 2018 scan, not a recut, and reviewers found no evidence of a longer or alternate version ever existing (Elements of Madness's review of the Criterion 4K release). That consistency matters for anyone comparing timestamps across formats — a scene cited at a given minute mark on one disc will land at roughly the same spot on another, since the underlying film has not been re-edited in any release.
What Plays During the End Credits
The film closes with "Storybook Love," written and performed by Willy DeVille, with an arrangement by Mark Knopfler. The song earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards, which honored 1987 releases at a ceremony held in 1988 (the Academy's official nominee record). The nomination places the end-credits song among the small set of elements from the film that received formal industry recognition, even though The Princess Bride was not a box-office hit in its initial run — it earned about $30.86 million domestically against a budget reported between roughly $15 million and $16 million, with sources splitting on the exact figure (Box Office Mojo and The Numbers).
Which Disc Version Should You Buy?
Three main physical options exist, and the choice comes down to picture quality and bonus features rather than runtime, since all three present the same 98-minute film. All three preserve the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (Cinema Sentries' coverage of the Criterion 4K announcement). Collectors chasing the best transfer should look to the 2023 4K disc; anyone wanting the lowest-cost physical copy can rely on the Fox editions without losing any footage.
- **Criterion 4K UHD (spine #948)**: Released September 5, 2023, this is the newest and highest-quality version. It adds Dolby Vision HDR on top of Criterion's 2018 restoration and ships with a Blu-ray copy in the same package.
- **Criterion Blu-ray**: Released October 30, 2018, this was the first Criterion edition and carries the same bonus-feature lineup as the later 4K disc, minus the HDR upgrade.
- **20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Blu-ray/DVD**: Standard retail editions distributed separately from Criterion, listed in library catalog records at the same approximate 98-minute runtime (a WorldCat/library catalog record).
Where to Stream It Now
In the United States, The Princess Bride is currently available on both Disney+ and Hulu, confirmed directly by each service's own title pages (Disney+'s listing and Hulu's listing). Availability outside the U.S. varies by territory and shifts over time. FlixPatrol recorded the film being added to Disney+ in Sweden around May 21, 2026, an example of how the same title can arrive on a given regional catalog well after its U.S.
streaming debut. Anyone checking for the film outside the U.S. should verify the current catalog in their own region rather than assuming U.S. availability applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a longer "director's cut" of The Princess Bride?
No. Every known release, including the 2023 Criterion 4K restoration, presents the same 98-minute cut; no extended or alternate version has surfaced.
What song plays over the end credits?
"Storybook Love," written and performed by Willy DeVille with an arrangement by Mark Knopfler, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Does the runtime differ between the Criterion Blu-ray and the 4K UHD?
No. Both present the identical 98-minute feature; the 4K disc adds Dolby Vision HDR and a bundled Blu-ray copy but makes no changes to the film's length.