The recent trend in movies to use the fade to black instead of a complete ending is disturbing to me for more than artistic reasons. I understand a writer letting the reader/viewer interpret the ending events. I have done it myself.
I do not think this trend is driven by a sudden line of parallel thinking screen writers. I suspect it has more to do with keeping a movie to the modern mark of 90 minutes.
Top tier blockbusters are allowed to go 140 to 150 minutes. A-list movies go 120 minutes, but the vast majority of B list so called “direct to video” movies must hit the magic 90 minute mark.
This makes sense when you only think of costs. Making movies cost money. The more you shoot the more it costs. If you shoot that oh so satisfying epilogue, someone has to pay for it. You have to edit it. You have to polish it with CGI.
This sudden trend of fade to black is less about style and story telling and more about economics.
Eternal Emperor 