IF
IFs plot has a lot of buts
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$58 – 83MM V $111MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
1.32% – 1.62%
Hidden potential
$410 – 470MM
IF is written and directed by John Krasinski. The movie is about a girl who sets out to reunite grown-ups with their forgotten imaginary friends. It misses a huge opportunity in exploring the role of an imaginary friend who reunites the girl with her dad.
1. The invisible plot structure of IF
1A. The script of IF borrows 95% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Bea’s quest mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology, where both are driven by the desire to serve a clan or order. Hanuman devotes his life to help Ram find Sita. Bea helps IFs reunite with the kids who have forgotten them.
Blue’s quest mirrors the tale of Karn from Hindu mythology, where both are driven by the desire for acceptance. Karn wants to be accepted as a warrior. Blue wants to be accepted as an imaginary friend. Blossom mirrors the same quest, with lesser events.
Every human desire has two quests - a fulfilled one and also an unfulfilled one. IF uses both quests for the desire of acceptance. Blue mirrors part of the unfulfilled quest whereas Cal mirrors the fulfilled quest.
Cal’s quest mirrors the tale of Theseus in Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire for acceptance. King Aegeus fails to recognize his son, Theseus. Despite Cal telling Bea about IFs, she doesn’t look for her own IF.
Bea’s dad has no quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 8,495
Tales interweaved
Hanuman, Karn, Theseus
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of IF's plot structure: $58-83MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of IF
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. IF uses 3 universal quests of Honour, both fulfilled and unfulfilled quests of Acceptance.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Bea mirrors the quest of Honour. Blue mirrors the unfulfilled quest of Acceptance whereas Cal mirrors fulfilled quest of Acceptance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Bea borrows 32% of the events from Hanuman’s quest. Blue borrows 16% of the events from Karn’s quest. Cal borrows 13% of the events from Theseus’ quest.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. IF’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Bea & Blue:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of IF
In IF’s plot structure, none of the quests have sufficient depth which also impacts the interweaving which is below par. As a result, the plot is a disjointed sequence of events and the characters lack complexity.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.05
Audience appeal
1.32% - 1.62%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of IF
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Bea mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Bea’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve a clan or order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: Blue mirrors the universal unfulfilled quest for Acceptance
Blue’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval from others. The tale of Karn from Hindu mythology is the universal unfulfilled quest for Acceptance.
Quest 3: Blue mirrors the universal fulfilled quest for Acceptance
Cal’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval from others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal fulfilled quest for Acceptance.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The high concept of IF is undone because the plot structure relies on only one quest.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Cal’s quest is the weakest and has the maximum possibility of being strengthened. Borrowing additional events not only strengthens the quest but also ensures interweaving with other quests.
However, the real potential is unlocked by building Bea’s dad. Assigning a quest of Tranquillity for the broken-hearted Bea’s dad creates a compelling father daughter relationship. Moreover, it creates an opportunity for Cal to help Bea save her dad.
Mythosis plot structure # 247,441 ensures robust quests for Bea, Cal, Blue and Bea’s dad. It interweaves the tales of Hanuman, Karn, Theseus and Sita. It has the potential to generate revenues of $410 – 470MM in the domestic market.
Explore Mythosis Plot structure # 247,441 that enhances current revenues by ~4X!
Tags: Hanuman, Honour, Karn, Theseus, Acceptance, 2024, John Krasinski, Paramount Pictures