Est vs Actual domestic box office revenue: $55-79/$67MM
Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 4 mythological tales increase revenues by ~10X
Furiosa A Mad Max Saga, directed by George Miller is a prequel and spin-off to Mad Max: Fury Road released in 2015. It focuses on the character Imperator Furiosa who makes an escape to return home, decides to take a detour to avenge her mother’s death and finally heads home. At Mythosis, we extracted the film’s plot structure, found gaps in the script and unlocked its hidden potential.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 97% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
Mary’s quest mirrors the tale of Demeter from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to protect their loved ones. Demeter recovers an abducted Persephone from the Underworld. Mary recovers an abducted Furiosa from Dementus’ den.
Dementus’ quest mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to dominate others. Circe uses witchcraft to control others. Dementus utilizes deceitful tactics to gain dominance.
Furiosa’s quest mirrors the tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to return home. Odysseus is lost at sea and longs to return to Ithaca. Furiosa is stuck in the wastelands and longs to return to the oasis.
Furiosa also mirrors events from the tale of Dron from Hindu mythology. Dron plans to defeat Dhrupad to avenge his humiliation. Furiosa kills Dementus to avenge her mother’s execution.
Jack has an underdeveloped quest of loyalty.
Immortan Joe’s quest is negligible.
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!
The plot structure used in Furiosa's script is # 209,075. It emerges from interweaving the mythological tales of Demeter, Circe, Odysseus & Dron.
2. Plot structure potential of Furiosa: $55-79MM
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. Furiosa uses 4 universal quests of Family, Power, Tranquillity & Vengeance.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Mary mirrors the quest of Family. Dementus mirrors the universal quest of Power. Furiosa mirrors the two universal quests of Tranquillity & Vengeance.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mary borrows 10% of the events from Demeter’s quest. Dementus borrows 20% of the events from Circe’s quest. Furiosa borrows 24% of the events from Odysseus’ quest & 5% from Dron’s quest.
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. Furiosa’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par. Here is an example of interweaving the quests of Furiosa & Dementus:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
The plot structure is disjointed due to inconsistent quest of Furiosa & shallowness of all character quests 1. The lead actor suffers from character inconsistency since Furiosa’s quest is made up of multiple quests. 2. Moreover, none of the quests have sufficient depth because of which characters lack complexity and are unidimensional. 3. Lastly, the interweaving between quests is below par which results in a disjointed sequence of events.
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.
Furiosa’s plot structure has a score of 0.04. Furiosa will appeal to 1.24 – 1.52% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $55 – 79MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Furiosa
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: Mary mirrors the universal quest for Family
Mary’s desire for Family stems from the need to protect loved ones. The tale of Demeter from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 2: Dementus mirrors the universal quest for Power
Dementus’ desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 3: Furiosa mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Furiosa’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.
Quest 4: Furiosa also mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Furiosa’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to confront offenders. The tale of Dron from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure is disjointed due to inconsistent quest of Furiosa & shallowness of all character quests
1. The lead actor suffers from character inconsistency since Furiosa’s quest is made up of multiple quests.
2. Moreover, none of the quests have sufficient depth because of which characters lack complexity and are unidimensional.
3. Lastly, the interweaving between quests is below par which results in a disjointed sequence of events.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
The ideal plot structure of Furiosa (#891,745) is a blockbuster plot structure that interweaves 4 mythological tales of Duryodhan, Odysseus, Circe & Hanuman. It unlocks the Blockbuster potential of Furiosa with revenues of more than $700mm in the domestic market.
Furiosa’s quest of Tranquillity mirrors Odysseus, Immortan Joe’s quest of Power mirrors Circe, Jack’s quest of Honour mirrors Hanuman and Dementus’ quest of Vengeance mirrors Duryodhan. Every human desire has two quests – a fulfilled one and an unfulfilled one. Dementus’ quest for Vengeance is an unfulfilled quest that is different from Furiosa’s quest used in the current plot structure. Mary’s quest isn’t used.
The ideal plot structure deepens the quests of Furiosa, Immortan Joe & Jack; creates an alternate quest for Dementus and interweave the quests to generate a cohesive plot structure. Here's a preview of the ideal plot structure:
Key Events from Odysseus’ universal quest of tranquillity to create the prequel. (Events are stated in reverse order to establish the connection to Mad Max: Fury Road.)
I. Leaving Circe’s Island of Aeaea: Furiosa leaves the Citadel with Immortan Joe’s wives
H. Odysseus frees his men from Circe: Furiosa frees the Vuvalini women and additional captives held by Immortan Joe
G. Hermes prepares Odysseus to take on Circe: Jack draws up a plan for Furiosa to defeat Immortan Joe
F. Circe creates a façade to abduct Odysseus men: Furiosa sends a team to seek help but Immortan Joe abducts them (Vuvalini women for his harem, men as workers)
E. Opening the bag of Aeolus & getting lost: Furiosa and team are lost in a sandstorm and reach the Citadel
D. Escape from islands of Cicones & Cyclops: Furiosa and team escape from Gas Town & Bullet Farm with fuel and ammo
C. Odysseus & his men take the sea-route: Another battle with Dementus forces Furiosa and team to take a different route to the oasis
B. The Trozan Horse: Furiosa draws up a plan and the Vuvalini clan free the abducted tribe members
A. Abduction of Helen: Dementus abducts Vuvalini tribe members to find the oasis
Tags:2024, Character Arcs, Circe, Demeter, Dron, Family, George Miller, Mythology, Nico Lathouris, Odysseus, Power, Screenwriting, Story plot, storytelling, Tranquillity, Vengeance, Warner Bros. Pictures
