The script potential score of Avatar is 0.93, a blockbuster (predicted 644-712MM; actual 750MM)
The script of Avatar will appeal to 27.83 – 30.76% of the population
Avatar borrows 94% of its events from 4 mythological tales
The script of Avatar will appeal to 27.83 – 30.76% 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. Avatar uses the universal tales of Idealism, Power and both the quests of Honour. Every human desire has a fulfilled & unfulfilled quest.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Grace mirrors the unfulfilled quest of Honour, Jake mirrors the quest of Idealism, Parker mirrors Power & Neytiri mirrors the fulfilled quest of Honour. Col Quaritch’s quest is subsumed in Jake’s quest (see below)
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Grace borrows 20% of the unfulfilled quest of Honour. Jake’s character borrows 52% of the universal quest of Idealism. Neytiri borrows 48% of the fulfilled quest of Honour & Parker borrows 33% of the quest of Power.
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. Avatar’s quest interweaving is 0.67 which is above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Jake & Neytiri:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Avatar’ script potential score is 0.93. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 27.83 – 30.76% of the population.
The plot structure of Avatar builds on the plot structure of Dances with Wolves. The universal quests of Idealism, Accumulation & Honour have greater depth in Avatar.
94% events in Avatar are borrowed from 4 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.
Quest 1: Parker mirrors 33% of Ravan’s quest for Power (marginally below threshold)
Parker’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Grace mirrors 20% of Siavash’s quest for Honour (below threshold of 35%)
Grace’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan/order. The tale of Siavash from Persian mythology is the unfulfilled quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Jake mirrors 52% of Prometheus’ quest for Idealism (above threshold of 35%)
Jake’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism. Col. Quaritch plays the role of Zeus which is integral to the quest of Prometheus
Quest 4: Neytiri mirrors 48% of Hanuman's quest for Honour (above threshold of 35%)
Neytiri's desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the fulfilled quest for Honour.
Tags:2009, 20th Century Fox, Box office, Character development, Dune Entertainment, Hanuman, Honour, Idealism, Ingenious Film Partners, James Cameron, Lightstorm Entertainment, Movie Review, Mythology, Power, Prometheus, Ravan, Script, Siavash, Story plot
