Script potential of Boy & the Heron is 37-45MM in the domestic market (actual $44MM)
The script of Boy & the Heron will appeal to 1.04 – 1.26% of the population
97% of events in Boy & the Heron are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
The script of Boy & the Heron will appeal to 1.04 – 1.26% 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 principles for creating Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate and unlock a story’s Blockbuster potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Every human desire has 2 universal quests – fulfilled and unfulfilled. Boy & the Heron uses the universal quests of Accumulation, Honour, Expedition & Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Mahito mirrors TWO quests, that of Accumulation & Expedition. Heron mirrors the quest of Power and Himi mirrors the quest of Honour. Shoichi, Natsuko, Kiriko, Granduncle, and the Green Parrot do not have well-developed quests.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mahito’s character borrows 56% of the quest of Accumulation & 18% of the quest of Expedition. Heron’s character borrows 19% of the quest of Power. Himi borrows 12% of the quest of Honour.
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. None of the quests in Boy & the Heron are interwoven.
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Boy & the Heron script score is 0.04. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 1.04 – 1.26% of the population.
The plot structure of Boy & the Heron uses multiple universal quests for Mahito making him inconsistent. Moreover, none of the character quests are interwoven with each other making the story plot disjointed.
97% of events in Boy & the Heron 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 superset 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: Mahito mirrors 56% of Valmiki’s quest for Accumulation (above threshold of 35%)
Mahito’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 unfulfilled quest for Accumulation.
Quest 2: Mahito also mirrors 18% of Jason’s quest for Expedition (below threshold of 35%)
Mahito’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive object/person. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 3: Heron mirrors 19% of Circe’s quest for Power (below threshold of 35%)
Heron’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 4: Himi mirrors 12% of Hanuman’s quest for Honour (below threshold of 35%)
Himi’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan or order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal fulfilled quest for Honour.
Tags:2023, Accumulation, Box office, Character development, Circe, Expedition, Hanuman, Hayao Miyazaki, Honour, Jason, Movie Review, Mythology, Power, Script, Story plot, Studio Ghibli, Toho, Valmiki
