John Carter
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$48 – 60MM V $73MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
1.92 – 2.34%
Script Score
0.07
John Carter released in 2012, is directed by Andrew Stanton and based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel A Princess of Mars. The movie creates a spectacular world and action sequences for a story with a confused character who first wants to return to Earth but then wants to go back to Mars.
1. The invisible plot structure of John Carter
1A. The script of John Carter borrows 93% of its events from 6 mythological tales
Carter’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 Carter navigate their way through hostile territory.
Carter’s quest is also driven by the desire to find love. The quest borrows events from the tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology. Both Savitri and Carter reunite with their loved ones after being forcibly separated.
Carter’s quest is further driven by the desire of selfishness & order. Events of Carter deserting his battalion in search of gold is borrowed from the quest of accumulation. Events of Carter seeking help from Tharks to free Dejah is borrowed from the quest of order.
Thern’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan eliminating his cousins to control the kingdom is similar to Thern attempting to eliminate Dejah.
Dejah’s quest is driven by the desire for self-reliance. The quest borrows events from Daedalus’ tale in Greek mythology. Just as Daedalus flies out of King Minos’ prison, Dejah escapes from Sab Than.
None of the other characters have a 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
# 812,441
Tales interweaved
Odysseus, Duryodhan, Daedalus & Savitri
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 John Carter's plot structure: $48 – 60MM
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 John Carter
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. John Carter has 6 universal quests of Tranquillity, Romance, Order, Accumulation, Vengeance & Independence.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Carter’s character mirrors Tranquillity, Romance, Order & Accumulation. Thern mirrors the quest of Vengeance whereas Dejah mirrors the quest of Independence.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Carter’s character borrows 32% events from the quest for Tranquillity and 17% events from the quest for Romance. Thern borrows 21% events from the quest for Vengeance. Dejah borrows 15% events from the quest for Independence.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. John Carter’s quest interweaving score is 0.3 and is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Carter & Thern:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of John Carter
The plot structure of John Carter is broken due to the lead character being inconsistent & all characters being under-developed. Carter’s character borrows from multiple quests making his quest inconsistent and creating plot gaps.
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
0.07
Audience appeal
1.92 – 2.34%
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 John Carter
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: Carter mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Carter’s desire for tranquillity stems from the need to be in safe environment. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 2: Carter mirrors the universal quest for Romance
Carter’s desire for Romance stems from the need for love. The tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Romance.
Quest 3: Thern mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Thern’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
Quest 4: Dejah mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Dejah’s desire for Independence stems from the need to be self-reliant. The tale of Daedalus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
John Carter is undone by creating a character’s quest from 4 mythological tales.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of John Carter is a subset of plot structure # 812,441. It emerges from interweaves the tales of Odysseus, Duryodhan, Daedalus & Savitri
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure #812,441
Tags: Odysseus, Daedalus, Savitri, Duryodhan, Ram, Tranquillity, Vengeance, Romance, Order, Independence, Andrew Stanton, Walt Disney Pictures, 2012