Bird Box
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$80 – 88MM V NA
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
2.83 – 3.14%
Script Score
0.10
Bird Box is a 2018 post-apocalyptic movie directed by Susanne Bier and based on the novel Josh Malerman. The story follows a woman and her two children as they navigate through a world overrun by mysterious entities.
1. The invisible plot structure of Bird Box
1A. The script of Bird Box borrows 91% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Mal’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 Mal navigate their way through hostile territory.
Entity is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Similar to Circe, Entity uses deceit to achieve its objectives.
Doug’s underdeveloped quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Doug are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart and sacrifice their interest.
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
# 18,578
Tales interweaved
Circe, Odysseus & Valmiki
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 Bird Box's plot structure: $80 – 88MM
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 Bird Box
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Bird Box has 2 universal quests of Power & Tranquillity.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Entity mirrors the quest of Power. Malorie mirrors the quest of Tranquillity.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Malorie borrows 36% events from the quest for Tranquillity. Entity borrows 16% events from the quest for Power.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Bird Box’s quest interweaving score is 0.67 which is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Malorie & Entity:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Bird Box
Except for Malorie, none of the other character quests are well developed.
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
0.10
Audience appeal
2.83 – 3.14%
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 Bird Box
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: Entity mirrors the universal quest for Power
Entity’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate over other. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Malorie mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Malorie’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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure of Bird Box relies on a single quest.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot structure of Bird Box is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 18,578. It interweaves the tales of Circe, Odysseus & Valmiki.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot Structure # 18,578!
Tags: Kans, Odysseus, Circe, Preservation, Tranquillity, Power, Susanne Bier, Bluegrass Films, Chris Morgan Productions, Netflix, 2018