The script potential score of John Carter is 0.07 (predicted revenue 48-60MM; actual 73MM)
The script of John Carter will appeal to 1.92 – 2.34% of the population
93% events in John Carter are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
The script of John Carter will appeal to 1.92 – 2.34% of the population
Any story is the quest to fulfil a human desire. We have identified universal quests for every human desire. These universal quests reveal the invisible plot structure of stories. An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate and unlock a story’s Blockbuster potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. John Carter has 5 universal quests of Tranquillity, Order, Romance, Vengeance & Independence.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Carter’s character mirrors Tranquillity, Order & Romance. Thern mirrors the quest of Vengeance whereas Dejah mirror the quest of Independence.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Carter’s character borrows 32% of the universal quest of Tranquillity, 21% of the quest of Order & 12% of the quest of Romance. Thern borrows 21% of the quest of Vengeance. Dejah borrows 16% of the quest of Tranquillity.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. John Carter’s quest interweaving score is 0.3 and is below par. An example of interweaving of Carter’s & Thern’s quest:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas John Carter’s script score is 0.07. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 1.92 – 2.34% of the population.
The plot structure of John Carter is weak 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.
93% events in John Carter are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
At Mythosis, we have identified 32 mythological tales. Each mythological tale uniquely represents a human quest to fulfil a desire. These tales are the super set of thousands of tales across cultures.
We have codified the events of each mythological tale. Every tale has 5 major arcs. Each arc has a sequence of events. These events culminate into a major event. Here is the mapping of each character’s quest to the major events in their respective mythological tale.
Carter’s journey has been borrowed from the following universal quests:
Quest 1: Similar to Odysseus’ tale from Greek mythology which is the universal quest for Tranquillity, Carter is stuck in inhospitable territory & wants to go back home
Quest 2: Similar to Ram’s tale from Hindu mythology which is the universal quest for Order, Carter frees Dejah from her abductor
Quest 3: Similar to Savitri’s tale from Hindu mythology which is the universal quest for Romance, Carter recovers Dejah who was lost forever.
Quest 4: Carter deserts the Colonel to hunt for gold & lands up in Mars through a portal. These series of events are borrowed from the quests of Accumulation & Honour
Quest 5: Thern mirrors 21% of Duryodhan’s quest for Vengeance (below threshold of 35%)
Thern’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to confront offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the fulfilled quest for Vengeance.
Quest 6: Dejah mirrors 16% of Daedalus’ quest for Independence (below threshold of 35%)
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.
Tags:2012, Andrew Stanton, Box office, Character development, Daedalus, Duryodhan, Independence, Movie Review, Mythology, Odysseus, Order, Ram, Romance, Savitri, Script, Story plot, Tranquillity, Vengeance, Walt Disney Pictures
