I can take it or leave it with post-credits scene. It’s not my particular jam, and they’re rarely any good or even memorable, but if fans like ’em, that’s cool by me. Well, don’t say that to James Mangold. The mere mention of post-credits scenes will set a vein in his forehead throbbing and his eye twitching with rage.
Last week at the 2018 Writers Guild Association Beyond Words Panel, Mangold let loose on the tyranny of those extra scenes, scolding attendees by saying, “Now we’ve actually gotten audiences addicted to a fucking bonus in the credits. It’s fucking embarrassing. It means you couldn’t land your fucking movie is what it means. Even if you got 100,000 Twitter addicts who are gambling on what fucking scene is going to happen after the fucking credits it’s still cheating.”
If you thought maybe Mangold was having a bad night, or was perhaps being a bit hyperbolic after that fifth glass of wine — nope. The director followed up with further thoughts on Twitter over the weekend, however, he didn’t address what everyone has been pointing out: “The Wolverine” has a mid-credits scene. What gives, dude? Anyway, here’s what Mangold said:
2/ and at the same time, I feel like the omnipresent expectation of them cheapens the integrity of a theatrical experience as the movie doesn't stick its ending but rather dribbles to an end with a series of pleasing vignettes/ads for the thing they will sell you next year…
— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 4, 2018
These scenes promote a slightly false sense of fully realized "universe" as if everyone behind scenes knows exactly what's next in a saga, when the truth is a bit less charted despite what many tell a sycophantic press that makes $ on the "universes" & the gossip mill they create
— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 4, 2018
One more thing. The argument that these scs. make people watch end credits is just lame. If you have to offer shiny objects to keep people watching the names of the crew, then they are not showing an ounce of respect for the crew. Just waiting like dogs for milk bones.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 4, 2018
So, if I understand this right, the guy who directed two Wolverine movies is worried about cinema becoming a “serialized money machine.” Okay, then. Mangold comes off a big condescending if not dismissive of a huge portion of the moviegoing audience. For those of us who want to get our arthouse on, we’ve got places to do that. And hey, if some moviegoers like being invested in a big screen, comic book mythology, what’s the harm? Especially when it gives filmmakers of color or women (“Black Panther,” “Wonder Woman“) the chance to bring different voices to the blockbuster machine?
Anyway, let us know what you think about all this in the comments section.