Interstellar
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$151 – 177MM V $188MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
5.81 – 6.79%
Script Score
0.20
Interstellar is a science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. Released in 2014, the movie explores themes of space exploration, time dilation, and the survival of humanity. The story takes inspiration from Noah’s Ark and Telemachus’ search for Odysseus.
1. The invisible plot structure of Interstellar
1A. The script of Interstellar borrows 87% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Cooper’s quest is driven by the desire to be in a safe environment. The quest borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Odysseus and Cooper navigate their way back through hostile environment.
Amelia’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Noah in Abrahamic mythology. Both Noah & Amelia look for a safe passage to protect others from a calamity.
Murphy’s quest is also driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Noah in Abrahamic mythology. Noah is clueless about saving others till God instructs him to build an Ark. Similarly, Murphy is able to solve the equation only after Cooper sends her the black hole data.
The underdeveloped quests of Dr. Brand & Mann are driven by the desire to dominate others. Their quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Similar to Circe, both Brand & Mann use deceit to achieve their objectives.
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
# 18,596
Tales interweaved
Circe, Odysseus & Noah
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 Interstellar’s plot structure: $151 – 177MM
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 Interstellar
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Interstellar uses 2 universal quests of Tranquillity & Preservation. The quest of Power is sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. In Interstellar, Cooper mirrors the quest of Tranquillity, Amelia & Murphy mirror the quest of Preservation whereas Dr Brand & Mann mirror the quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Cooper mirrors 42% of the quest of Tranquillity. From the quest of Preservation Amelia borrows 24% whereas Murphy borrows 16%.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Interstellar’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Cooper & Murphy:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Interstellar
The Interstellar’s plot structure reveals the presence of two universal quests that are mirrored deeply as well as strongly interwoven.
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
0.20
Audience appeal
5.81 – 6.79%
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 Interstellar
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: Cooper mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Cooper’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in secure surroundings. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 2: Amelia mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Amelia’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Noah from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 3: Murphy mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Murphy’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Noah from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The gap in Interstellar’s plot structure arises from the relatively weaker quest of Murphy.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Interstellar is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 18,596. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe, Odysseus & Noah.
However, a more powerful plot structure is Mythosis plot structure # 27,731. It assigns the quest of Demeter from Greek mythology to Murphy that gives depth to her character and enhances the father-daughter bond.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 27,731.
Tags: Noah, Preservation, Odysseus, Tranquillity, Circe, Power, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, Warner Bros. Pictures, Syncopy Inc., Paramount Pictures, 2014