Airport
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$62 – 76MM V $100MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
19.55 – 23.89%
Script Score
0.69
Airport released in 1970 and directed by George Seaton is based on Arthur Hailey’s novel of the same name. The movie boasts of an ensemble cast and is credited with establishing the disaster genre with multiple high-stake scenarios.
1. The invisible plot structure of Airport
1A. The script of Airport borrows 86% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Mel’s quest is driven by the desire to ensure order. The quest borrows events from the tale of Bhishm in Hindu mythology. Both Bhishm & Mel take a vow to protect their kingdom from falling into chaos. Mel has another quest driven by being self-centered.
Tanya’s quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Gilgamesh in Sumerian mythology. Gilgamesh’ search for the elixir of life is similar to Tanya’s hunt for the suspicious passenger.
Vern’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Noah in Abrahamic mythology. Both Noah & Vern look for a safe passage to protect others from a calamity. Vern also has another quest driven by being self-centered.
Guerro’s quest is driven by the desire to protect. The quest borrows events from the tale of Oedipus in Greek mythology. Both Oedipus & Guerro fail to protect due to an error in judgement and sacrifice themselves.
Gwen doesn’t have a well-developed 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
# 441,879
Tales interweaved
Bhishm, Oedipus, Gilgamesh & Noah
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 Airport's plot structure: $62 – 76MM
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 Airport
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Airport has 4 universal quests of Expedition, Preservation, Family & Order.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Mel mirrors the universal quest of Order & Accumulation. Tanya mirrors the quest of Expedition. Vern mirrors the quest of Preservation & Accumulation. Guerro mirrors the quest of Family.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mel borrows 40% events from the universal quest of Order. Tanya borrows 48% from the quest of Expedition. Vern borrows 44% from the quest of Preservation. Guerro borrows 20% events from the quest of Family.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Airport’s quest interweaving score is 0.5 and is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Mel & Vern:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Airport
A strong plot structure weakened by the inconsistent quests of Mel & Vern.
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
0.69
Audience appeal
19.55 – 23.89%
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 Airport
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: Mel mirrors the universal quest for Order
Mel’s desire for Order stems from the need for organization to maintain stability. The tale of Bhishm from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Order.
Quest 2: Tanya mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Tanya’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 3: Vern mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Vern’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Noah from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 4: Guerro mirrors the universal quest for Family
Guerro’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture and protect loved ones. The tale of Oedipus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The inconsistent character quests of Mel & Vern weaken the plot structure.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Airport is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 441,879. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Bhishm, Oedipus, Gilgamesh & Noah.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 441,879.
Tags: Bhishm, Gilgamesh, Noah, Oedipus, Order, Expedition, Family, Preservation, George Seaton, Universal Pictures, 1970