The original premiere version (Fritz Lang's director's cut) of Metropolis ran approx. 3 1/2 hours. This version is lost.

The premiere version was cut down for the official release (after bad word of mouth) in the USA to 159 minutes, while the German official release ran 153 minutes.

A restored version was prepared by the Filmmuseum Munich. Restored according to the original script, this version replaces lost scenes either with stills or titles. Its running time is about 150 minutes.

A new UK video version (wrongly called "Director's cut") is 139 minutes long.

A version restored by the German Democratic Republic in the eighties runs 115 minutes (still shown on German TV sometimes)