Dunkirk
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$155 – 181 V $190MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
5.33 – 6.22%
Script Score
0.19
The 2017 movie Dunkirk, directed by Christopher Nolan is a gripping portrayal of the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II. While the film’s stunning visuals have been widely praised, Mythosis delves into the story’s simple plot structure.
1. The invisible plot structure of Dunkirk
1A. The script of Dunkirk borrows 97% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Mr Dawson’s quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Dawson undertake a dangerous mission, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Honour is a recurring quest also reflected by Farrier though his quest is underdeveloped. Similarly, Bolton has an underdeveloped quest of Preservation.
Tommy’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. Odysseus and Tommy navigate their way back through hostile environment.
Shivering Soldier’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & the Soldier are self-centered but have a change of heart.
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
# 27,308
Tales interweaved
Odysseus, Hanuman & Valmiki
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 Dunkirk’s plot structure: $155 – 181MM
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 Dunkirk
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Dunkirk uses two universal quests of Honour and Tranquillity. The quest of Accumulation is sparsely used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. In Dunkirk, Tommy mirrors the quest of Tranquillity, Mr. Dawson mirrors the quest of Honour whereas Shivering Soldier mirrors the quest of Accumulation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Tommy mirrors 24% of the quest of Tranquillity. Mr. Dawson borrows 36% of the quest of Honour. Shivering Soldier borrows 9% of the quest of Accumulation.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Dunkirk's quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Mr. Dawson & Tommy:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Dunkirk
The plot structure is made of two universal quests with other quests being shallow or underdeveloped.
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
0.19
Audience appeal
5.33 – 6.22%
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 Dunkirk
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: Mr. Dawson mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Mr. Dawson’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve one’s clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: Tommy mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Tommy’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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure of Dunkirk had the opportunity to build Tommy’s quest and create a deeper quest of “selfishness”.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Dunkirk is a sub set of Mythosis plot structure #27,308. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Odysseus, Hanuman & Valmiki.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure #27,308
Tags: Hanuman, Accumulation, Valmiki, Honour, Odysseus, Tranquillity, Christopher Nolan, Warner Bros. Pictures, Syncopy Inc., RatPac-Dune Entertainment, 2017