Dumb Money
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$11 – 14MM V $14MM
Mythosis universal quests used
2
Audience appeal
~0.52%
Script Score
0.01
Dumb Money released in 2023 is directed by Craig Gillespie. It’s based on the book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich that chronicles the GameStop short squeeze of January 2021. The story follows a middle-class financial analyst who becomes an internet sensation by investing his life savings in GameStop stock and sharing his journey on social media.
1. The invisible plot structure of Dumb Money
1A. The script of Dumb Money borrows 95% of its events from 2 mythological tales
Keith’s quest is driven by the desire of independence. The quest borrows events from tale of David in Abrahamic mythology. Both David and Keith prove their worth when they finally get an opportunity.
Gabe’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan’s treacherous attempts to take over the kingdom is similar to Gabe trying to crash the GameStop stock prices.
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
# 435
Tales interweaved
David & Duryodhan
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 Dumb Money's plot structure: $11-14MM
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 Dumb Money
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Dumb Money has 2 universal quests of Independence and Vengeance.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Keith mirrors the universal quest of Independence & Gabe mirrors Vengeance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Keith borrows 10% events from the quest for Independence. Gabe borrows 7% 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 Dumb Money’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Keith & Gabe:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Dumb Money
The plot structure of Dumb Money uses only 2 universal quests and both the quests are sub-optimal.
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
0.01
Audience appeal
~0.52%
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 Dumb Money
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: Keith mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Keith’s desire for Independence stems from the need for self-reliance. The tale of David from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
Quest 2: Gabe mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Gabe’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The hidden potential lies in deepening both the quests.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Dumb Money is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 435. It interweaves the tales of David & Duryodhan.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot Structure # 435
Tags: David, Duryodhan, Independence, Vengeance, Craig Gillespie, Sony, Columbia, Stage 6 Films, Black Bear Pictures, 2023