Longlegs: A brave attempt to recreate the Oedipus myth
Est vs Actual domestic box office revenue: $58 - 87/$74MM
Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 3 mythological tales increase revenues by ~12X
Longlegs directed by Osgood Perkins is a story about an FBI agent who is assigned to track down a serial killer responsible for a series of murder-suicides. The movie portrays a conflict between basic human desires of protection & brutal display of power. Mythosis uses 2 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 87% of the events are borrowed from 2 mythological tales
Lee's quest is driven by the desire to stop the killings and mirrors the tale of Oedipus from Greek mythology. Both Oedipus & Lee want to protect but are victims of erroneous judgement.
Longlegs’ quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology. Both Circe & Longlegs use their magical power to acquire unscrupulously.
Ruth’s quest is underdeveloped. She makes a deal with Longlegs for Lee’s sake similar to Demeter’s deal for Persephone.
Carter also has an underdeveloped quest. His search for an elusive person i.e. Longlegs, is similar to Gilgamesh’s search for Utnapishtim.
Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
The unique plot structure of Longlegs is # 598. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe and Oedipus.
2. Plot structure potential of Longlegs: $58-87MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests.Longlegs uses 2 universal quests of Family and Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Lee mirrors the quest of Family whereas Longlegs mirrors the universal quest of Power.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Lee borrows 44% of events from the quest for Family. Longlegs borrows 16% from the universal quest of Power.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. The quest interweaving score of Longlegs is 0.33 and is below par. An example of interweaving the quests of Lee & Longlegs:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
The plot structure of Longlegs is driven by a singular character quest.
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Longlegs has a script potential score is 0.05 and the movie will appeal to 1.33 – 1.77% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $58 – 87MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Longlegs
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Lee mirrors the universal quest for Family
Lee’s desire for Family stems from the need to protect. The tale of Oedipus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 2: Longlegs mirrors the universal quest for Power
Longlegs’ desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The current plot structure is constructed with just two quests. Though Lee’s quest is very powerful, the second quest is shallow. Moreover, the interweaving of quests is below threshold leading to a disjointed plot structure.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
The ideal plot structure for Longlegs is # 17,991. It is a blockbuster plot structure that interweaves the tales of Circe, Oedipus & Gilgamesh. This plot structure enhances the current revenues by ~12X!
The ideal plot structure builds around Lee’s quest, which is very powerful. It makes the following interventions:
a. Retains Ruth’s quest b.
Deepens Longlegs’ quest by borrowing additional events from Circe’s tale. This makes the character layered and complex c. Reconstructs Carter’s quest by borrowing events from Gilgamesh’s tale. Building this quest helps in creating a cohesive story.
