Avatar
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$644 – 712MM Vs $750MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
27.83 – 30.76%
Script Score
0.93
Avatar a sci-fi movie directed by James Cameron was released in 2009. The story reimagines Dances with Wolves in a different setting, replacing Native Americans with the Na’vi on Pandora. Importantly, Avatar elevates the storytelling significantly by exploring much deeper character arcs.
1. The invisible plot structure of Avatar
1A. The script of Avatar borrows 94% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Col. Quaritch’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Col. Quaritch take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Jake’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 Jake rebel to stop the destructive forces.
Neytiri’s quest is driven by the desire to find love. The quest borrows events from the tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology. Both Savitri and Neytiri rescue their loved ones from death.
Grace’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Siavash in Persian mythology. Both Siavash and Grace see each one of their relationships crumble due to misunderstandings.
Parker’s underdeveloped quest is driven by the desire to collect and own. The quest borrows few events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology.
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
# 553,470
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Prometheus, Siavash & Savitri
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 Avatar's plot structure: $644 – 712MM
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 Avatar
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Avatar uses 4 universal tales of Social contact, Idealism, Romance & Power.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Grace mirrors the universal quest of Social contact, Jake mirrors the quest of Idealism, Quaritch mirrors Power & Neytiri mirrors Romance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Jake borrows 52% events from the quest for Idealism. Neytiri borrows 48% events from the quest for Romance & Quaritch borrows 33% events from the quest for Power. Grace borrows 20% events from the quest for Social contact.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Avatar’s quest interweaving is 0.67 which is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Jake & Neytiri:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Avatar
The plot structure of Avatar builds on the plot structure of Dances with Wolves. Besides using the universal quests of Idealism & Power, it has strengthened the quest of Romance and incorporated a 4th universal quest of Social contact.
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
0.93
Audience appeal
27.83 – 30.76%
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 Avatar
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: Quaritch mirrors the universal quest for Power
Quaritch’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: Jake mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
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.
Quest 3: Neytiri mirrors the universal quest for Romance
Neytiri’s desire for Romance stems from the need for sex & courtship. The tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Romance.
Quest 4: Grace mirrors the universal quest for Social contact
Grace’s desire for Social contact stems from the need to seek companionship. The tale of Siavash from Persian mythology is the universal quest for Social contact.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure reveals one quest that can be further strengthened.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Avatar is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 553,470. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Ravan, Prometheus, Siavash & Savitri.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 553,470.
Tags: Prometheus, Siavash, Savitri, Ravan, Idealism, Social contact, Romance, Power, James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, 2009