Groundhog Day (1993) runs 101 minutes, or 1 hour and 41 minutes, in its original theatrical cut. That figure comes from Box Office Mojo's title credits page, which also lists the film's earliest U.S.
release date as February 12, 1993. The movie carries an MPA rating of PG for "some thematic elements," according to film catalog data aggregated by The Numbers. Every home-video edition released since 1993 uses that same 101-minute cut; what changes from release to release is the bonus material packaged around it, not the film itself.
Table of Contents
- How long is Groundhog Day, and why do some sites say 102 minutes?
- What plays over the end credits?
- Is there a longer or director's cut?
- Where did the deleted scenes come from, and can you watch them?
- Which disc or digital release should you buy?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Groundhog Day, and why do some sites say 102 minutes?
Groundhog Day's theatrical running time is 101 minutes. Most databases agree on that number, including Box Office Mojo, Apple TV, FilmAffinity, and standard library catalog records, but The Numbers lists it as 102 minutes.
That one-minute gap is a rounding or timing-method difference between databases, not evidence of a different cut floating around. If you're trying to confirm you're watching the correct version of the film, the running time alone won't tell you much, since every official release — theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K — presents the same cut. A 101-versus-102 discrepancy is not a red flag.
What plays over the end credits?
The film closes with Nat King Cole's recording of "Almost Like Being in Love." Director Harold Ramis chose that song over the studio's preference for a contemporary pop track, a decision detailed by music editor Sally Boldt in Cinemontage, the American Cinema Editors' publication. That choice matters to the film's tone: a 1950s standard, rather than a radio-friendly single, underlines the story's warmth instead of trying to sell a soundtrack. It's the kind of small production detail that explains why the ending feels timeless rather than dated to 1993.
Is there a longer or director's cut?
No officially released director's cut or extended theatrical version of Groundhog Day exists. The only longer version is an unofficial fan recut called "Groundhog Day: Long Winter Edition," which reinserts deleted scenes and runs about 106 minutes against the theatrical 101, according to fanedit.org's review.
That fan edit was never sanctioned by the studio or distributed commercially, so it isn't something you'll find on a disc or a streaming service. If you want the deleted material in an official form, it exists only as bonus content, not as a recut of the film itself — covered next.
Where did the deleted scenes come from, and can you watch them?
Sony's 2002 Special Edition DVD added roughly six deleted scenes, totaling about 5 minutes and 51 seconds, including a "Pool Hall Scene" and an "Ice Sculpture" sequence that never made the 101-minute theatrical cut, according to the DVD Compare film comparison database. These scenes have remained bonus features ever since, not part of the movie itself.
That's the source of the "Long Winter Edition" fan recut described above — someone spliced the official deleted scenes back into the theatrical print. If you want to see that unused footage through an official channel rather than a fan edit, you need a disc release that carries the Special Edition bonus content, which most reissues since 2002 have included in some form.
Which disc or digital release should you buy?
Several anniversary editions have been released, and they differ mainly in picture quality and extras rather than content: For picture quality, the 30th Anniversary SteelBook is the better pick if your display supports Dolby Vision; otherwise the 2018 25th Anniversary disc looks identical on standard HDR10 displays, since both draw from the same transfer. Either way, the film itself runs 101 minutes — you're choosing extras and disc format, not a different cut.
- **2002 Special Edition DVD** — first release to include the deleted scenes as bonus material.
- **2018 25th Anniversary Edition** (4K UHD + Blu-ray combo) — built from a new 4K scan, with a Harold Ramis audio commentary and "The Weight of Time" documentary; U.S. street date was around January 23-25, 2018, per Home Theater Forum's blu-ray release reporting.
- **2023 30th Anniversary Edition** (4K UHD SteelBook) — released January 10, 2023, adding Dolby Vision on top of the existing HDR, but reusing the same 2018 video master rather than a new scan, according to Home Theater Forum's UHD review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 4K version of Groundhog Day run longer than the DVD?
No. Every home-video release, from the 2002 Special Edition DVD through the 2023 30th Anniversary 4K SteelBook, presents the same 101-minute theatrical cut; only the bonus features differ, per Home Theater Forum's 30th Anniversary review.
Can you buy the version with the deleted scenes added back into the movie?
Not officially. The deleted scenes exist only as separate bonus features on disc editions since 2002; a recut that splices them into the film is an unofficial fan edit, the "Long Winter Edition," per fanedit.org.