Battleship
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$50 – 56MM V $65MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
1.98 – 2.22%
Script Score
0.07
Battleship is a 2012 movie directed by Peter Berg, inspired by the classic board game of the same name. The story follows a naval fleet that battles an extraterrestrial invasion on the high seas.
1. The invisible plot structure of Battleship
1A. The script of Battleship borrows 92% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Alex’s quest is driven by the desire to be in a safe environment. The quest borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Both Odysseus and Alex navigate their way through hostile territory. Alex has an underdeveloped quest driven by the desire of selfishness.
Nagata’s quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Nagata become loyal allies of those that they initially suspected.
Aliens’ quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Alien take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
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
# 19,513
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Odysseus & Hanuman
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 Battleship's plot structure: $50-56MM
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 Battleship
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Battleship has 2 universal quests of Tranquillity & Power. The quests of Honour & Accumulation are insufficiently used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Alex mirrors the universal quests of Tranquillity & Accumulation. Aliens mirror the quest of Power whereas Nagata mirrors the quest of Honour.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Alex borrows 30% events from the quest for Tranquillity. Nagata borrows 9% events from the quest for Honour. Aliens borrow 21% events from 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. Battleship’s quest interweaving score is 0.33 and below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Alex & Nagata:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Battleship
None of the characters are well developed & their quests aren’t interwoven resulting in plot gaps.
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
0.07
Audience appeal
1.98 – 2.22%
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 Battleship
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: Alex mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Alex’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in secure surroundings. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 2: Nagata mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Nagata’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan or order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Aliens mirrors the universal quest for Power
Aliens’ desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure has shallow quests for every character.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Battleship is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 19,513. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Ravan, Odysseus & Hanuman.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 19,513
Tags: Hanuman, Ravan, Odysseus, Honour, Power, Tranquillity, Peter Berg, Hasbro Studios, Bluegrass Films, Universal Pictures, 2012