Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Revving up the script with mythological tales
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$111 – 155MM V $194MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
2.81 – 3.43%
Hidden potential
$370 – 410MM
In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike and Marcus restore the honour of their late boss who is posthumously framed for being involved with the cartels. The story explores basic human desires of Honour, Idealism, Power, and Preservation.
1. The invisible plot structure of Bad Boys: Ride or Die
1A. The script of Bad Boys: Ride or Die borrows 92% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Mike’s quest is driven by the desire to be loyal to a clan/order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Mike locate the person responsible for their clans’ humiliation.
McGrath’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat and mirrors the tale of Kans from Hindu mythology. Both Kans & McGrath attempt to finish off their nemesis.
Lockwood’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology, Both Circe & Lockwood project a façade of godliness.
Armando’s quest is driven by the desire for justice and mirrors the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Both Prometheus & Armando redeem themselves for betraying their loved ones.
Marcus has an underdeveloped quest. His quest mirrors a few events from Innana’s tale in Sumerian mythology. Both Innana & Marcus are punished for their imprudence and have to be saved.
Rita, Judy, Christine, Kelly & Dorn have no quests.
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
# 624,161
Tales interweaved
Kans, Hanuman, Prometheus & Circe
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 Bad Boys: Ride or Die's plot structure: $111-155MM
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 Bad Boys: Ride or Die
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Bad Boys uses 4 universal quests of Honour, Power, Idealism and Preservation.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. McGrath mirrors the universal quest of Preservation whereas Mike mirrors the quest of Honour. Lockwood mirrors the quest of Power & Armando mirrors the quest of Idealism.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. McGrath borrows 38% of the quest for Preservation. Mike borrows 30% of the quest for Honour and is marginally below threshold. Armando borrows 20% of the quest for Idealism whereas Lockwood borrows just 10% of the quest for Power.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Bad Boys’ quest interweaving score of 0.30 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Mike & Lockwood:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Bad Boys’ script borrows from 4 mythological tales. Each tale is uniquely mirrored by a single character. However, the interweaving is far below the benchmark resulting in a disjointed plot structure. Moreover, there are only 2 powerful characters in the script.
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
0.10
Audience appeal
2.81 – 3.43%
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 Bad Boys: Ride or Die
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: Mike mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Mike’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: McGrath mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
McGrath’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 3: Lockwood mirrors the universal quest for Power
Lockwood’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: Armando mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
Armando’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The current plot structure is dependent on just two quests.
Only Mike’s quest is interwoven with the quests of McGrath, Armando and Lockwood. The quests of McGrath, Armando & Lockwood aren’t interwoven.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Just 2 interventions arising from the ideal plot structure enhances the domestic revenues to $360MM.
Borrowing missing events from the tales of Hanuman & Prometheus: Besides making the quests of Mike and Armando compelling, these events help in interweaving the quests of Armando & McGrath resulting in a cohesive plot structure.
Explore Mythosis Plot structure # 624,161 to enhance revenues by ~3X!
Tags: Prometheus, Circe, Kans, Hanuman, Idealism, Power, Honour, Preservation, Adil & Bilall, Chris Bremner, Will Beall, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2024