The script potential score of Close Encounters of the Third Kind is 0.60 (predicted 83-101MM; actual 116MM)
The script of Close Encounters...... Kind will appeal to 17.06 – 20.85% of the population
Close Encounters...... Kind borrows 97% of its events from 4 mythological tales
The script of Close Encounters...... Kind will appeal to 17.06 – 20.85 % of the population
Any story is the quest to fulfil a human desire. We have identified universal quests for every human desire. These universal quests reveal the invisible plot structure of stories. An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate and unlock a story’s Blockbuster potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Close Encounters...... Kind uses 4 mythological tales to capture the desires of Expedition, Acceptance, Family & Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Neary mirrors the universal quest of Acceptance. Lancome mirrors the quest of Expedition, Jillian mirrors the quest of Family & Govt. mirrors the quest of Power.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Neary borrows 48% of the quest for Acceptance & Lancome borrows 36% of the fulfilled quest of Expedition. Jillian’s character borrows 25% of the universal quest of Family. Govt. borrows 31% of the quest of 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. Close Encounters...... Kind’s quest interweaving is 0.5 and is at par. An example of interweaving the quests of Neary & Govt.:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Close Encounters...... Kind’s script potential score is 0.60. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 17.06 – 20.85 % of the population.
The plot structure of Close Encounters of the Third Kind misses the blockbuster mark because of a lack of depth in few quests. 3 of these quests have been used with more depth & interweaving to create the plot structure E.T.
97% events in Close Encounters of the Third Kind are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
At Mythosis, we have identified 32 mythological tales. Each mythological tale uniquely represents a human quest to fulfil a desire. These tales are the super set of thousands of tales across cultures.
We have codified the events of each mythological tale. Every tale has 5 major arcs. Each arc has a sequence of events. These events culminate into a major event. Here is the mapping of each character’s quest to the major events in their respective mythological tale.
Quest 1: Neary mirrors 48% of Theseus’ quest for Acceptance (above threshold of 35%)
Neary’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval by others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
Quest 2: Lancome mirrors 36% of Gilgamesh’s quest for Expedition (above threshold of 35%)
Lancome’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive object. The tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 3: Jillian mirrors 25% of Demeter’s quest for Family (below threshold of 35%)
Jillian’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 4: Govt. mirrors 31% of Circe’s quest for Power (marginally below threshold)
Govt.’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Tags:1977, Acceptance, Box office, Character development, Circe, Columbia Pictures, Demeter, EMI Films, Expedition, Family, Gilgamesh, Movie Review, Mythology, Power, Script, Steven Spielberg, Story plot, Theseus
