The Mummy
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$65 – 79MM V $80MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
2.21 – 2.43%
Script Score
0.08
The Mummy released in 2017 is a movie directed by Alex Kurtzman. The story is about the inadvertent awakening of an ancient princess imprisoned for millennia who unleashes her rage and malevolent powers.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Mummy
1A. The script of The Mummy borrows 89% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Nick’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Nick are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart. and sacrifice their interest.
Nick’s quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Nick demonstrate unquestioned loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Ahmanet’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Both Circe and Ahmanet create a façade of godliness and treachery to seize control.
Jenny has an underdeveloped quest of tranquillity and borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Similar to Odysseus, Jenny navigates her way in a hostile environment.
Henry’s underdeveloped quest borrows events from the tale of Kans in Hindu mythology. Both Kans & Henry incarcerate their nemesis but thy manage to escape.
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
# 18,031
Tales interweaved
Circe, Hanuman & Odysseus
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 The Mummy's plot structure: $65-79MM
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 The Mummy
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Mummy has 3 universal quests of Honour, Accumulation, Power. The quests of Preservation & Tranquillity are scarcely used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Nick mirrors the universal quest of Honour and Accumulation. Ahmanet mirrors the quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Nick borrows 14% events from the quest for Honour & 18% events from the quest for Accumulation. Ahmanet borrows 42% 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. The Mummy’s quest interweaving score is 0.33 and below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Nick & Ahmanet:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Mummy
Ahmanet has a well-defined & robust quest but Nick’s inconsistent character vacillates between Honour & Accumulation.
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
0.08
Audience appeal
2.21 – 2.43%
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 The Mummy
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: Nick mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Nick’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect and own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 2: Nick also mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Nick’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Ahmanet mirrors the universal quest for Power
Ahmanet’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The inconsistent quest of the Nick, shallow quests of Jenny & Henry makes interweaving between quests difficult. As a result, the story has numerous holes in its plot structure.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Mummy is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 18,031. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe, Hanuman & Odysseus.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure #18,031
Tags: Hanuman, Circe, Kans, Valmiki, Honour, Power, Accumulation, Preservation, Alex Kurtzman, Perfect World Pictures, Universal Pictures, 2017