While writing my previous blog, an idea popped into my head that really intrigued me. I was writing about the effectiveness of commercials and I began to talk about how I want to see Star Wars IX even though I know almost nothing about it. That led me to think about if movies today are just advertisements for their sequels. This is especially prevalent today, as many major film studios are intent on setting up their own highly successful film franchises, much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars. These franchises usually release at least one movie per year, and require audiences too watch most, if not all, of the previous movies in order to watch the new ones. It has even gotten to the extent that movies contain entire scenes with no other purpose than to set up sequels, usually placed during the credits or at the very end of the credits. These scenes can also be put into the main part of the movie, where they set up a plot thread, and just leave it hanging until the next movie. And while these scenes can be very enjoyable, it is almost undeniable that they are pure advertisement for the next movie. It’s pretty obvious. This is a very smart business tactic because fans of a movie/franchise don’t have to wait around for months wonder if there will be another movie in their favorite series. As soon as the audiences walk out of the theater, they know that the story is not over and that they have more movies to enjoy their favorite characters. The studios are basically guaranteeing that audiences will come back to spend even more money next year. While this can certainly be handled incorrectly and quite obviously, there are plenty of movies that can pull this off organically. So as long as it doesn’t feel too forced, I am okay with this type of advertisement.