It Ends with Us is a refreshingly unique love triangle

It Ends with Us directed by Justin Baldoni is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel. The story is about Lily being unwittingly drawn into a traumatic situation reminiscent of her childhood scars. Its plot explores basic human desires of tranquillity, loyalty & selfishness. Mythosis extracts the plot structure of the movie with 3 mythological tales to estimate and unlock its potential.

1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story

1A. 97% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales

Lily’s quest is driven by the desire to be in a peaceful environment and mirrors the tale of Sita from Hindu mythology. Both Sita and Lily have suffered from abuse and aggression, and they both yearn for peace and tranquillity.

Atlas’ quest is driven by the desire to restore honour of others and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Atlas offer unconditional support to a person wronged.

Ryle’s quest is driven by the desire collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki and Ryle exhibit self-centered behaviour, even to the point of sacrificing the well-being of their loved ones.

Alyssa doesn’t have a quest.

Detailed mirroring of each character 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 It Ends with Us is # 4,662. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Valmiki, Hanuman & Sita.

2. Plot structure potential of Trap: $172 – 239 MM

2A. Plot structure evaluation of Trap

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. It Ends with Us uses 3 universal quests of Tranquillity, Accumulation and Honour.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Lily mirrors the universal quest of Tranquillity. Atlas mirrors the universal quest of Honour. Ryle mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Lily borrows 30% from the universal quest of Tranquillity. Atlas borrows 14% from the quest of Honour. Ryle borrows 18% from the universal quest of Accumulation.
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 It Ends with Us is 0.67 and is above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Lily & Atlas:

2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling

Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.

The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.

Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.

Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.

Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.

2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Trap

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.

It Ends with Us has a script potential score is 0.16 and the movie will appeal to 4.49 – 5.49% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $172 – 239MM in the domestic market.

3.The ideal plot structure of Trap

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: Lily mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity

Lily’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in a peaceful environment. The tale of Sita from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.

Quest 2: Atlas mirrors the universal quest for Honour

Atlas’ desire for Honour stems from the need to restore the honour of one’s clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.

Quest 3: Ryle mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation

Ryle’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.

3B. Gaps in the current plot structure

The plot structure of It Ends with Us is unique. The universal quests of Accumulation, Tranquillity & Honour has never been interwoven in the history of storytelling.

It Ends with Us plot structure # 4,662 has blockbuster potential since it combines three universal quests. The current plot structure can be transformed by increasing the depth of each character quest. All the 3 characters mirror far below the threshold from their respective universal quests.

3C. Unlocking the hidden potential

Deepening each character by borrowing missing events from their respective universal quests unlocks the hidden potential and enhances revenues by 3.5X!

Tags: 2024, Accumulation, Blockbuster movies, Christy Hall, Colleen Hoover, Columbia Pictures, Hanuman, Honour, Justin Baldoni, Mythology, Plot Structure, Prediction, Sita, Sony Pictures Releasing, storytelling, Tranquillity, Valmiki