Standalone film

A standalone film is a film that does not have any relation with other films. In the late 1990s, it was typical to create standalone films with no plans for sequels. The term "standalone film" appeared when sequels, spin-offs, and franchises became normal from the mid-2000s onwards.

Types of standalone films
In a canonical meaning, a standalone film is a film that is not part of any franchise. The Sixth Sense, The Shawshank Redemption, Inception, Se7en and Interstellar are examples of standalone films.

When a film is set in either the same universe (or one very similar to that of) as its predecessors, yet has very little if any narrative connection to its predecessors and can be appreciated on its own without a thorough understanding of the backstory, then the work can be referred to as a standalone sequel. Mr. Bean's Holiday, Big Top Pee-wee, Home Alone 3, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Species - The Awakening, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, The Rescuers Down Under, Return to Never Land, Kronk's New Groove, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Jingle All the Way 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Wonder Woman 1984, Spirit Untamed, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery are examples of standalone sequels.

A standalone spin-off is a film that expands some fictional universe. The Star Wars Anthology series is an example of standalone spin-offs. Standalone spin-offs may also be centered on a minor character from an existing fictional universe.