What Is Anything Extra?
The lights come up and the credits start rolling. Go, or stay?
For every movie, RunPee's Anything Extra tells you whether there's something during or after the credits, when it shows up, how many there are, and how long the credits run. Tickets cost too much to miss stuff. But you also don't want to sit there for ten minutes for nothing, especially if you have to pee.
Why "Yes or No" Isn't Enough
The app shows at a glance whether there is or isn't anything extra. Sometimes the real answer is more complicated than that.
The extra might be something small that isn't worth waiting for. Or there might be more than one, which is more and more common. You don't want to catch a scene two minutes into the credits, head for the exit, and find out later there were more. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had five extra scenes, plus some "I am Groot" fun through the entire rolling credits.
So tap in for the details: when each extra appears, how long the credits run, and whether we think it's worth the wait. That last part is our opinion. If you're a big fan, something small might mean a lot more to you than it did to us. Once, we told people to drag their friends back to their seats, because the extras were actually the ending of the movie.
What Counts as an Extra
This question perplexed us for years. Most of the time it's obvious. But there's a lot of middle ground, with people wondering, "Did that count? What about this little thing?"
Here's the guideline we settled on:
If there's anything at all other than the standard rolling credits and music, it counts.
For a long while we used our own judgment and skipped really small things, like an odd sound or a strange graphic. Then, invariably, fans would correct us: "OMG, that sound effect at the end of the credits is a clue to who the villain is in the sequel. You'd know that if you read the comic."
We see every wide-release movie. We don't know the backstory of every wide-release movie. So now we mention everything, down to the soft space noises and console beeps at the very end of Ad Astra, which one perceptive fan pointed out might mean something. (Other people complained that we made them wait for nothing. This is why the details matter more than the yes or no.)
If there's so much as a "Boo!" during or after the credits (a pig snort, a monkey screech, jungle drums, an engine revving, seriously, anything), we count it. If you're a completist, that's good news. You might be the last person in the theater to hear young Anakin Skywalker breathing like Darth Vader.
The Exception: Title Credits
Title credits are the fancy, designed credits that sometimes run for the first couple of minutes after a sci-fi, fantasy, animated or superhero movie ends. Those don't count, because they don't add anything to the story. Usually. If title credits do deliver something more, we might count that.
We also don't mention bonus scenes before the credits. We assume you're still in your seat.
Seventeen Kinds of Extras
These are the categories we actually use. Only the first three are what most people picture when they think "end-credits scene." Go by the narrow definition and you'd miss the other fourteen.
- Scene during the credits. A scene dropped in partway through. Don't rush off.
- Scene after the credits. It shows up only after the credits have fully rolled. You'll have to stay to the end.
- Scene right at the credits. It comes the moment the credits begin. Don't even stand up.
- Bloopers and outtakes. Flubbed lines and on-set goofing around.
- Real-people tribute. In a movie based on true events: photos, footage or notes on what became of the real people.
- Photo montage. Photos or stills play behind the credits instead of a scene.
- Audio-only extra. No picture. Just a sound, a line or a piece of audio.
- On-screen text. A dedication, an "In Memory Of," a quotation, a note from the filmmakers or a call to action.
- Sequel or franchise tease. A hint at the next movie, or where the story goes from here.
- Illustrated or animated content. Artwork, comic panels or animation instead of a live-action scene.
- A song worth staying for. A song or performance that's worth a few more minutes in your seat on its own.
- The movie continues into the credits. The last scene doesn't cut away. It plays on as the credits start.
- Video clip montage. Documentary footage, behind-the-scenes material or clips from earlier films.
- Trailer for another movie. A trailer for something else plays during the credits.
- Narrative title cards. A series of text cards laying out a timeline, an ending or what happened to the characters.
- Varies by showing. Audience reports disagree. Some people saw it, some didn't.
- "Pass it on" appeal. The filmmakers appear and ask for your help: buy a ticket for someone else, or spread the word.
That's why we hold to the wide definition.
No Spoilers, Unless You Want Them
The main Anything Extra view doesn't spoil anything. It tells you whether it's worth staying in your seat, and on that question we tell you everything.
Some people want to know exactly what they're waiting for, or what they missed because they had a train to catch. For them there's a clearly marked Learn More (SPOILERS) section that says what the extra is. Open it or don't. Your call.
Some people use RunPee just for this feature.
One Caveat: Movies Change
We see movies on opening night. Every so often, what's at the end changes after that. We've seen nothing extra at our showing when later showings had something, and a few extras that played only at opening-night premieres. (We suspect Hollywood is just messing with us sometimes.)
So if what you see doesn't match what we wrote, the movie may have changed. Tap Comments or Corrections? on the Anything Extra card and tell us. We'll update it.
For Specific Movies
- Does The Odyssey have anything after the credits?
- Does Spider-Man: Brand New Day have anything after the credits?
- How to Use RunPee: where Anything Extra lives in the app