King Richard
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$18 – 22MM V $15MM
Mythosis universal quests used
2
Audience appeal
~0.50%
Script Score
0.02
King Richard released in 2021 is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin. The movie is about Richard Williams raising Venus and Serena to become two of the greatest tennis players in history.
1. The invisible plot structure of King Richard
1A. The script of King Richard borrows 92% of its events from 2 mythological tales
Richard’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Mindy are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart and sacrifice their interest.
Venus’ quest driven by the desire of independence. The quest borrows events from tale of David in Abrahamic mythology. Both David and Venus prove their worth when they finally get an opportunity.
Serena remains in the shadows and doesn’t have a quest.
Brandy also 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
# 137
Tales interweaved
Valmiki & David
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 King Richard's plot structure: $18-22MM
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 King Richard
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. King Richard has 2 universal quests of Accumulation & Independence.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Richard mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation. Venus mirrors the quest of Independence.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Richard borrows 42% events from the quest for Accumulation. Venus borrows 21% 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. King Richard’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Richard & Venus:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of King Richard
The plot structure of King Richard is driven by a single character. The choice of quest for Richard is a contradiction in a story of achievement. Moreover, Venus’ character is under-developed. Brandy, Serena or the coaches don’t have a quest.
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
0.02
Audience appeal
~0.50%
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 King Richard
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: Richard mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Richard’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & 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: Venus mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Venus’ desire for Independence stems from the need to be self-reliant. The tale of David from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The 2nd quest is shallow.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot structure of King Richard Lives is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 137. It interweaves the tales of Valmiki & David.
Contact us for Mythosis Plot Structure # 137
Tags: Valmiki, David, Independence, Accumulation, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Westbrook Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2021