I think we should look at the talent base that is being developed, and this is, in fact, human capital that is being developed. This is why most European countries, the U.S., and the U.K. are investing in research in these kinds of topics—not because they want to learn more about Batman or Harry Potter, but because actually it's a good way of developing the talent base.
Perhaps you will allow an analogy. If you do CrossFit training, one of the exercises is flipping tractor tires. Now, it's not because you're expected to flip tractor tires every day, but because it's a very efficient way of developing muscle mass. These kinds of Master's theses and Ph.D. theses are a CrossFit for the mind. They're basically developing the talent base beyond the domain expertise that is being developed.