The script potential score of The Sum of All Fears is 0.23 (predicted revenue 109-121MM; actual 118MM)
The script of The Sum of All Fears will appeal to 6.57 – 7.30% of the population
87% events in The Sum of All Fears are borrowed from 3 mythological tales
The script of The Sum of All Fears will appeal to 6.57 – 7.30% 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. The Sum of All Fears has 3 universal quests of Independence, Power & Preservation.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Ryan mirrors the universal quest of Independence. Dressler mirrors the quest of Power. Cabot mirrors the quest of Preservation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Ryan’s character borrows 21% of the universal quest of Independence. Dressler’s character borrows 25% of the quest of Power. Cabot borrows 12% of the quest of Preservation.
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. The Sum of All Fears’s has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1. An example of interweaving Cabot’s & Dressler’s quests:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas The Sum of All Fears’s script score is 0.23. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 6.57 – 7.30% of the population.
The plot structure of The Sum of All Fears perfectly interweaves 3 universal quests which are mirrored by uniquely by one character. However, all 3 characters don’t have sufficient depth since they borrow inadequately from their respective quests.
87% events in The Sum of All Fears are borrowed from 3 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: Dressler mirrors 25% of Circe’s quest for Power (below threshold of 35%)
Dressler’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate over other. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Cabot mirrors 21% of Noah’s quest for Preservation (below threshold of 35%)
Quest 3: Ryan mirrors 12% of David’s quest for Independence (below threshold of 35%)
Ryan’s desire for Independence stems from the need for self-reliance. The tale of David from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
Tags:2002, Box office, Character development, Circe, David, Independence, Mace Neufeld Productions, MFP Munich Film Partners, Movie Review, Mythology, Noah, Paramount Pictures, Phil Alden Robinson, Power, Preservation, S.O.A.F. Productions, Script, Story plot
