The script potential of Don’t Look Up in the domestic market is 59-71MM
The script of Don’t Look Up will appeal to 1.5-1.7% of the population
93% events in Don’t Look Up are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
The script of Don’t Look Up will appeal to 1.5-1.7% 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. Don’t Look Up has 4 universal quests of Vengeance, Accumulation, Idealism & Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Kate mirrors the universal quest of Idealism. Mindy mirrors both Accumulation & Idealism. Peter mirrors the quest of Power whereas Orleans mirrors the quest of Vengeance. Brie doesn’t have a substantial quest.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Kate’s character borrows 27% of the universal quest of Idealism. Mindy’s character borrows 16% of the quest of Accumulation & 30% of the universal quest of Idealism. Peter borrows 19% of the fulfilled quest for Power. Orleans borrows 16% of the quest for Vengeance.
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. Don’t Look Up’s quest interweaving score is 0.5 and at par. Mindy’s quest is interwoven with Kate & Peter. Orleans's quest is interwoven with Peter. An example of interweaving of Mindy’s & Peter’s quests:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Don’t Look Up’s script score is 0.06. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 1.5-1.7% of the population.
Though the plot structure of Don’t Look Up borrows from 5 universal quests, the plot is weak due to weak & inconsistent characters. Every character is insufficiently developed since they borrow less than the threshold from their respective quests. Moreover, Mindy’s character is inconsistent since his quest vacillates between Idealism & Social Contact.
93% events in Don’t Look Up are borrowed from 5 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: Kate mirrors 27% of Amba’s quest for Idealism (below threshold of 35%)
Kate’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
Quest 2: Mindy mirrors 16% of Valmiki’s quest for Accumulation (below threshold of 35%)
Mindy’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 3: Mindy also mirrors 30% of Prometheus’ quest for Idealism (marginally below threshold)
Mindy’ desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
Quest 4: Orleans mirrors 16% of Duryodhan’s quest for Vengeance (below threshold of 35%)
Orleans’ desire for Vengeance stems from the need to confront offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the quest for Vengeance.
Quest 5: Peter mirrors 19% of Circe’s quest for Power (below threshold of 35%)
Peter’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the fulfilled quest for Power.
Tags:2021, Accumulation, Adam McKay, Amba, Bluegrass Films, Box office, Character development, Circe, Duryodhan, Hyperobject Industries, Idealism, Movie Review, Mythology, Netflix, Power, Prometheus, Script, Story plot, Valmiki, Vengeance
