Script potential of Poor Things is 13-17MM in the domestic market
The script of Poor Things will appeal to 0.40 – 0.48% of the population
91% of events in Poor Things are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
The script of Poor Things will appeal to 0.40 – 0.48% 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. Poor Things uses 4 universal quests of Curiosity, Independence, Family & Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Bella mirrors TWO quests, that of Curiosity & Independence. Duncan mirrors the quest of Power and Godwin mirrors the quest of Family. Max does not have a quest.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Bella’s character borrows 13% of the quest of Curiosity & 21% of the quest of Independence. Duncan’s character borrows 14% of the quest of Power. Godwin borrows 5% of the fulfilled quest of Family.
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. Poor Things’ quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par. Here is an example of interweaving the quests of Bella & Duncan:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Poor Things' script score is 0.01. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 0.40 – 0.48% of the population.
The plot structure of Poor Things uses multiple quests for Bella making her inconsistent. Moreover, her quest for independence is patchy which creates gaps in the plot structure. The other character quests are extremely shallow.
91% of events in Poor Things 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: Bella mirrors 13% of Innana’s quest for Curiosity (below threshold of 35%)
Bella’s desire for Curiosity stems from the need to explore & discover. The tale of Innana from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Curiosity.
Quest 2: Bella also mirrors 21% of Daedalus’ quest for Independence (below threshold of 35%)
Bella’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.
Quest 3: Godwin mirrors 5% of Demeter’s quest for Family (below threshold of 35%)
Godwin’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture & protect. The tale of Demeter from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 4: Duncan mirrors 14% of Circe’s quest for Power (below threshold of 35%)
Duncan’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Tags:2023, Box office, Character development, Circe, Curiosity, Daedalus, Demeter, Element Pictures, Family, Film4, Independence, Innana, Movie Review, Mythology, Power, Script, Searchlight Pictures, Story plot, TSG Entertainment, Yorgos Lanthimos
