Leveraging the juice to unveil the hidden potential
Estimated box office revenue: $167 – 232MM
Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 4 mythological tales increase revenues by ~3X
Tim Burton’s movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is about a mother seeking help from her arch rival to save her daughter who goes into the Afterlife. The story explores basic human desires of Power, Family & Curiosity. Mythosis, with the help of 4 mythological tales, has extracted the plot structure of the movie to estimate and unlock its potential.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 91% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
Betelgeuse's quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology. Both Circe and Betelgeuse obtain through dubious means but are eventually compelled to relinquish them.
Lydia’s quest is driven by the desire to protect loved ones and mirrors the tale of Demeter from Greek mythology. Both Demeter & Lydia recover their lost loved ones.
Astrid’s quest is driven by the desire to explore and mirrors the tale of Inanna from Sumerian mythology. Both Inanna & Astrid venture into hostile territory and have to be rescued.
Delores quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. After their failed ploy to seize control, both Duryodhan and Delores seek revenge.
Delia, Jeremy, Rory & Jackson have underdeveloped quests of tranquillity, independence, selfishness and preservation.
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!
Beetlejuice 2 has a unique plot structure. Interweaving the tales of Circe, Duryodhan, Demeter & Inanna creates plot structure # 542,466.
2. Plot structure potential of Beetlejuice 2: $167-232MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Beetlejuice 2
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. Beetlejuice 2 uses 4 universal quests of Power, Vengeance, Curiosity and Family.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Betelgeuse mirrors the quest of Power. Astrid mirrors the universal quest of Curiosity. Lydia mirrors the universal quest of Family. Delores mirrors the quest of Vengeance.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Betelgeuse borrows 21% of events from the quest for Power. Astrid borrows 29% from the quest of Curiosity. Lydia borrows 24% from the quest of Family. Delores borrows 9% of events from the quest for Vengeance.
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 Beetlejuice 2 is 0.50 and is at par. An example of interweaving the quests of Lydia & Astrid:
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. Hence, when more quests are woven into a story, its starts appealing to a wider audience.
The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique. Besides, appealing to a larger audience size, the choice 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. Additionally, characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.
2C. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
Even though the script of Beetlejuice 2 borrows from 4 mythological tales none of the quests have the requisite depth. As a result, none of the characters are layered or complex. Moreover, the quest of Delores isn’t interwoven with any of the other quests thereby weakening the plot structure.
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.
Beetlejuice 2 has a script potential score is 0.15 and the movie will appeal to 4.36 – 5.33% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $167 – 232MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Beetlejuice
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: Betelgeuse mirrors the universal quest for Power
Betelgeuse’s desire for Power stems from the need dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Lydia mirrors the universal quest for Family
Lydia’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture & protect. The tale of Demeter from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 3: Astrid mirrors the universal quest for Curiosity
Astrid’s desire for Curiosity stems from the need to explore & discover. The tale of Inanna from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Curiosity.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The major gaps in the plot structure of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are:
1. Depth of quests below threshold: The quests of Betelgeuse, Lydia & Astrid do not borrow enough events from their mythological counterparts. Hence, these quests do not have sufficient depth.
2. Disjointed plot structure: Delores’ quest operates in isolation since it is not interwoven with any of the other character quests.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
The ideal plot structure of Beetlejuice 2 enhances current revenues by ~3X.
The ideal plot structure borrows events from 3 mythological tales to deepen the quests of Betelgeuse, Lydia & Astrid. These events also make it possible to interweave the quests of Delores & Betelgeuse.
Tags:2024, Alfred Gough, Blockbuster movies, Circe, Curiosity, Demeter, Family, Miles Millar, Mythology, Plot Structure, Power, Prediction, Seth Grahame-Smith, storytelling, Tim Burton, Tim Burton Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures
