Crazy Rich Asians
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$135 – 165MM V $175MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
4.33 – 5.29%
Script Score
0.15
Crazy Rich Asians directed by Jon M. Chu is based on the 2013 novel of the same title by Kevin Kwan. The three character quests in the movie exactly mirror the quests in the timeless story of Cinderella. Cinderella’s story interweaves the universal quests of Status, Social contact and Acceptance. Mythosis uses 3 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. The invisible plot structure of Crazy Rich Asians
1A. The script of Crazy Rich Asians borrows 92% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Eleanor’s quest is driven by the desire for social standing and mirrors the tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. Both Kaikeyi & Eleanor attempt to maintain their social standing by controlling the lives of their son.
Nick’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship and mirrors the tale of Psyche from Greek mythology. Both Psyche & Nick lose their loved ones due to a misunderstanding and try to win them back.
Rachel’s quest is driven by the desire to seek approval for who they are and mirrors the tale of Theseus from Greek mythology. Both Theseus & Rachel struggle to get accepted despite proving themselves.
Astrid’s quest is subsumed in her husband’s under-developed quest driven by self-interest.
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
# 26,855
Tales interweaved
Theseus, Kaikeyi & Psyche
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 Crazy Rich Asians’ plot structure: $135 – 165MM
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 Crazy Rich Asians
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Crazy Rich Asians uses 3 universal quests of Status, Social contact & Acceptance.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Eleanor mirrors the quest of Status. Nick mirrors the quest of Social contact. Rachel mirrors the universal quest of Acceptance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Eleanor borrows 36% from the universal quest of Status. Nick mirrors 16% from the universal quest of Social contact. Rachel borrows 13% of from the universal quest of Acceptance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Crazy Rich Asians has a quest interweaving score of 0.67 and is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Nick & Eleanor:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Crazy Rich Asians
The plot structure reveals Eleanor’s robust quest. However, the script suffers from the shallow quests of other characters.
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
4.33 – 5.29%
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 Crazy Rich Asians
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: Eleanor mirrors the universal quest for Status
Eleanor’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.
Quest 2: Nick mirrors the universal quest for Social contact
Nick’s desire for Social contact stems from the need to find a companion. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
Quest 3: Rachel mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance
Rachel’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval from others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure is weakened by the weaker quests of Rachel & Nick.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Crazy Rich Asians is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 26,855 – which is also Cinderella’s plot structure.It emerges from interweaving the tales of Theseus, Kaikeyi & Psyche.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 26,855
Tags: Theseus, Kaikeyi, Psyche, Acceptance, Status, Social contact, Jon M Chu, Kevin Kwan, SK Global, Starlight Culture, Color Force, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2018