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How many acts does a movie have?

Tagged: film, formatting, screenplay, screenwriting, script, scriptwriting, structure

A typical movie is said to have three acts, but this is not a steadfast rule. Film acts are not defined as strictly as play or TV show acts, which are set off with act breaks.

The [johnaugust.com glossary](http://johnaugust.com/glossary) explains that “Since screenplays never show act breaks, an ‘act’ is really a theoretical concept. Screenwriters talk about three acts, meaning ‘the beginning,’ ‘the middle,’ and ‘the end.’”

Per [Syd Field](https://screenwriting.io/who-is-syd-field/), it is not uncommon for people to break the middle act in half: act 2A and 2B.

### More from johnaugust.com
* [Stressing over structure](http://johnaugust.com/2004/stressing-over-structure “Stressing over structure”)
* [Symphonies and screenplays](http://johnaugust.com/2011/symphonies-and-screenplays “Symphonies and screenplays”)
* [Glossary](http://johnaugust.com/glossary “Glossary”)

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