Beetlejuice 2
Leveraging the juice of Beetlejuice's script
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$167–232MM V $294MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
4.36 – 5.33%
Hidden potential
$530–585MM
Tim Burton’s movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is about a mother seeking help from her arch rival to save her daughter who goes into the Afterlife. The story explores basic human desires of Power, Family & Curiosity. Mythosis, with the help of 4 mythological tales, has extracted the plot structure of the movie to estimate and unlock its potential.
1. The invisible plot structure of Beetlejuice 2
1A. The script of Beetlejuice 2 borrows 91% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Betelgeuse’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology. Both Circe and Betelgeuse obtain through dubious means but are eventually compelled to relinquish them.
Lydia’s quest is driven by the desire to protect loved ones and mirrors the tale of Demeter from Greek mythology. Both Demeter & Lydia recover their lost loved ones.
Astrid’s quest is driven by the desire to explore and mirrors the tale of Inanna from Sumerian mythology. Both Inanna & Astrid venture into hostile territory and have to be rescued.
Delores’ quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. After their failed ploy to seize control, both Duryodhan and Delores seek revenge.
Delia, Jeremy, Rory & Jackson have underdeveloped quests of tranquillity, independence, selfishness and preservation.
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
# 542,466
Tales interweaved
Circe, Duryodhan, Demeter & Inanna
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 Beetlejuice 2's plot structure: $167-232MM
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 Beetlejuice 2
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Beetlejuice 2 uses 4 universal quests of Power, Vengeance, Curiosity and Family.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Betelgeuse mirrors the quest of Power. Astrid mirrors the universal quest of Curiosity. Lydia mirrors the universal quest of Family. Delores mirrors the quest of Vengeance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Betelgeuse borrows 21% of events from the quest for Power. Astrid borrows 29% from the quest of Curiosity. Lydia borrows 24% from the quest of Family. Delores borrows 9% of events from the quest for Vengeance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The quest interweaving score of Beetlejuice 2 is 0.50 and is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Lydia & Astrid:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Beetlejuice 2
Even though the script of Beetlejuice 2 borrows from 4 mythological tales none of the quests have the requisite depth. As a result, none of the characters are layered or complex.
Moreover, the quest of Delores isn’t interwoven with any of the other quests thereby weakening the plot structure.
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
0.15
Audience appeal
4.36 – 5.33%
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 Beetlejuice 2
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: Betelgeuse mirrors the universal quest for Power
Betelgeuse’s desire for Power stems from the need dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Lydia mirrors the universal quest for Family
Lydia’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture & protect. The tale of Demeter from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 3: Astrid mirrors the universal quest for Curiosity
Astrid’s desire for Curiosity stems from the need to explore & discover. The tale of Inanna from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Curiosity.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The major gaps in the plot structure of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are:
- The quests of Betelgeuse, Lydia & Astrid could have been deeper. None of these quests borrow enough events from their mythological counterparts.
- Delores’ quest operates in isolation since it is not interwoven with any of the other character quests.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The script of Beetlejuice 2 is a subset of Mythosis Plot structure # 542,466.
- The ideal plot structure deepens the quests of Betelgeuse, Lydia & Astrid.
- It also interweaves the quests of Delores & Betelgeuse.
Explore Mythosis Plot structure # 542,466 to enhance current revenues by ~3X!
Tags: Demeter, Circe, Family, Curiosity, Power, Tim Burton, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Seth Grahame-Smith, Tim Burton Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2024