American Hustle
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$122 – 148MM V $151MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
4.7 – 5.72%
Script Score
0.16
American Hustle released in 2013 was directed by David O. Russell. The star-studded movie follows two con artists who are forced to work with an FBI agent to entrap corrupt politicians.
1. The invisible plot structure of American Hustle
1A. The script of American Hustle borrows 85% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Irving’s quest is driven by the desire of fairness and justice. The quest borrows events from the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Both Prometheus and Irving rebel to prevent exploitation by unscrupulous forces.
Sydney’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Sydney are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart.
Richie is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Similar to Circe, Richie uses deceit to achieve its objectives.
Rosalyn’s quest mirrors the tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. The quest is driven by the desire for social standing & respect. Kaikeyi retains her position in the kingdom by forcing her step son into exile. Similarly, Rosalyn gives up Irving for a mafia boss to maintain her lifestyle.
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
# 126,799
Tales interweaved
Valmiki, Circe, Prometheus & Kaikeyi
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 American Hustle's plot structure: $122 – 148MM
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 American Hustle
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. American Hustle has 4 universal quests of Idealism, Status, Power & Accumulation.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Irving mirrors the universal quest of Idealism. Sydney mirrors the quest of Accumulation. Richie mirrors the quest of Power & Rosalyn mirrors the quest of Status.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Irving borrows 28% events from the quest for Idealism. Sydney borrows 19% events from the quest for Accumulation. Richie borrows 37% events from the quest for Power. Rosalyn borrows 13% events from the quest for Status.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. American Hustle’s quest interweaving score is 0.33 and is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Irving & Sydney:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of American Hustle
Richie is the only well-developed character in the plot. Shallow quests of other characters has resulted in plot gaps. Rosalyn’s quest isn’t interwoven with any other quest.
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
0.16
Audience appeal
4.7 – 5.72 %
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 American Hustle
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: Irving mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
Irving’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
Quest 2: Sydney mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Sydney’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 quest for Accumulation.
Quest 3: Richie mirrors the universal quest for Power
Richie’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: Rosalyn mirrors the universal quest for Status
Rosalyn’s desire for Status stems from the need for social standing & respect. The tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Status.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure reveals that Rosalyn’s quest isn’t interwoven with any of the character quests. Every character quest is shallow except for Richie.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of American Hustle is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 126,799. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Valmiki, Circe, Prometheus & Kaikeyi
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 126,799.
Tags: Prometheus, Valmiki, Circe, Kaikeyi, Idealism, Accumulation, Power, Status, David O. Russell, Columbia Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Annapurna Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2013