Expendables 4
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$16 – 20MM V $17MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
~0.50%
Script Score
0.02
Expendables 4 released in 2023 is the fourth installment of the franchise and directed by Scott Waugh. The story follows a mercenary group set up for failure.
1. The invisible plot structure of Expendables 4
1A. The script of Expendables 4 borrows 90% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Christmas’ quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Dron from Hindu mythology. Both Dron and Christmas seek to avenge their humiliation and betrayal.
Christmas’ quest is also driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Christmas demonstrate unquestioned loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Rahmat’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Kans in Hindu mythology. Both Kans & Rahmat fail to kill their nemesis and pay the price.
Marsh’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 Marsh create a façade of godliness and treachery to seize control.
Barney 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
# 18,453
Tales interweaved
Circe, Kans & Dron
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 Expendables 4's plot structure: $16-20MM
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 Expendables 4
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Expendables 4 has three universal quests of Vengeance, Honour & Preservation. It hardly uses the quest of Power.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Christmas mirrors two quests of Vengeance & Honour. Rahmat mirrors Preservation & Marsh mirrors Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Christmas borrows 21% events from the quest for Vengeance & 12% events from the quest for Honour. Rahmat borrows 13% events from the quest for Preservation. Marsh borrows 7% 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. Expendables 4’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Christmas & Marsh:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Expendables 4
The lead character mirrors two quests making him inconsistent. None of the character quests have sufficient depth. Moreover, the quests aren’t interwoven which affects the tightness of the plot.
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 Expendables 4
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: Christmas mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Christmas’ desire for Vengeance stems from his need to get even or confront offenders. The tale of Dron from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
Quest 2: Christmas also mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Christmas’ desire for Honour stems from his need to be loyal to a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Rahmat mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Rahmat’s desire for Preservation stems from his need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 4: Marsh mirrors the universal quest for Power
Marsh’s desire for Power stems from his 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 plot structure has quests that are either shallow or inconsistent.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Expendables 4 is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 18,453. It interweaves the tales of Circe, Kans & Dron.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot Structure # 18,453
Tags: Dron, Kans, Circe, Hanuman, Honour, Vengeance, Preservation, Power, Scott Waugh, Lionsgate, Millennium Media, Grobman Films, 2023