Est vs Actual domestic box office revenue: $111 – 155/$194MM
Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 4 mythological tales increase revenues by ~3X
In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike and Marcus restore the honour of their late boss who is posthumously framed for being involved with the cartels. The story explores basic human desires of Honour, Idealism, Power, and Preservation. Mythosis uses 4 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 92% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
Mike's quest is driven by the desire to be loyal to a clan/order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Mike locate the person responsible for their clans’ humiliation.
McGrath’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat and mirrors the tale of Kans from Hindu mythology. Both Kans & McGrath attempt to finish off their nemesis.
Lockwood’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology, Both Circe & Lockwood project a façade of godliness.
Armando’s quest is driven by the desire for justice and mirrors the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Both Prometheus & Armando redeem themselves for betraying their loved ones.
Marcus has an underdeveloped quest. His quest mirrors a few events from Innana’s tale in Sumerian mythology. Both Innana & Marcus are punished for their imprudence and have to be saved.
Rita, Judy, Christine, Kelly & Dorn have no quests.
Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
Bad Boys’ unique plot structure is # 624,161 that emerges from interweaving the tales of Kans, Hanuman, Prometheus & Circe.
2. Potential of Bad Boys’ plot structure: $111-155MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Bad Boys uses 4 universal quests of Honour, Power, Idealism and Preservation.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. McGrath mirrors the universal quest of Preservation whereas Mike mirrors the quest of Honour. Lockwood mirrors the quest of Power & Armando mirrors the quest of Idealism.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. McGrath borrows 38% of the quest for Preservation. Mike borrows 30% of the quest for Honour and is marginally below threshold. Armando borrows 20% of the quest for Idealism whereas Lockwood borrows just 10% of the quest for Power.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Bad Boys’ quest interweaving score of 0.30 is below par. An example of interweaving the quests of Mike & Lockwood:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
Bad Boys’ script borrows from 4 mythological tales. Each tale is uniquely mirrored by a single character. However, the interweaving is far below the benchmark resulting in a disjointed plot structure. Moreover, there are only 2 powerful characters in the script.
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Bad Boys’ script potential score is 0.10 and the movie will appeal to 2.81 – 3.43% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $111 – 155MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Bad Boys
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Mike mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Mike’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: McGrath mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
McGrath’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 3: Lockwood mirrors the universal quest for Power
Lockwood’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 4: Armando mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
Armando’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The current plot structure is dependent on just two quests.
Only Mike’s quest is interwoven with the quests of McGrath, Armando and Lockwood. The quests of McGrath, Armando & Lockwood aren’t interwoven.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
Just 2 interventions arising from the ideal plot structure can push the domestic revenues to $360MM.
Borrowing missing events from the tales of Hanuman & Prometheus: Besides making the quests of Mike and Armando compelling, these events help in interweaving the quests of Armando & McGrath resulting in a cohesive plot structure.
Tags:2024, Adil & Bilall, Chris Bremner, Circe, Hanuman, Honour, Idealism, Kans, Power, Prediction, Preservation, Prometheus, Sony Pictures Releasing, Will Beall