Exhibitors are predisposed not to take on long films no matter how engrossing they are unless they come with a great amount of prerelease baggage. The releasing studios started the publicity flack long before the film was in the can. The film had pre-sold its entire reputed budget before release and went on to gross well over a billion worldwide. The combination of elements in the production overwhelmed everything, including a bad screenplay that had good story elements but terrible, often laughable logic. Do not consider this anomaly a teaching device or archetype in any way.
Lengthy films are difficult to sell.
Feature films can play at amazingly short lengths. Most animated films, for example, turn out at roughly 85 minutes. These are noted since they are of such story value that they can today release in theaters and still earn money although they are now well over half a century old. At the bottom line, the feature film is most closely related to the short story. In a word, yes, where we are concerned with the pure meaning of story.