Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 3 mythological tales enhance revenues by ~2.5X
Twisters directed by Lee Isaac Chung is supposedly a sequel to the 1996 movie. The movie follows brave storm chasers risking their lives to prevent nature’s destruction. Joseph Kosinski’s story explores basic human desires of honour, companionship & accumulation. Mythosis uses 3 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 94% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales
Kate's quest is driven by the desire to serve one’s clan or order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Kate take upon themselves to challenge and overcome destructive forces.
Tyler’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship and mirrors the tale of Psyche from Greek mythology. Both Psyche & Tyler recognize the goodness of their adversary and fall in love.
Javi’ quest is driven by the desire to collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Javi repent being self-centred & transform.
Detailed mirroring of each character 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 unique plot structure of Twisters is # 8,577. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Hanuman, Psyche & Valmiki
2. Plot structure potential of Twisters: $216-288MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Twisters
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 questsTwisters uses 3 universal quests of Honour, Social contact and Accumulation.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character.Kate mirrors the quest of Honour. Tyler mirrors the universal quest of Social contact whereas the Javi mirror the universal quest of Accumulation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Kate borrows 36% of events from the quest for Honour. Tyler borrows 20% from the universal quest of Social contact. Javi borrows 10% from the universal quest of Accumulation.
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 quest interweaving score of Twisters is 0.67 and is above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Kate & Tyler:
2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling
Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.
The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.
Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.
Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.
Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.
2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Twisters
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.
Twisters has a script potential score is 0.20 and the movie will appeal to 5.70 – 6.97% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $216 – 288MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Twisters
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.
Spoilers Ahead...
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Kate mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Kate’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: Tyler mirrors the universal quest for Social contact
Tyler’s desire for Social contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social contact.
Quest 3: Javi mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Javi’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.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The ideal plot structure of Twister (#8,577) is a blockbuster plot structure that interweaves 3 universal quests of Honour, Accumulation & Social Contact. However, the current plot structure of Twisters borrows only a part of the ideal plot structure. It relies on the single quest of Kate while leaving the quests of both Tyler & Javi shallow.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
The potential of the script is unlocked by deepening the quests of Tyler & Javi. Borrowing missing events from the tales of Psyche & Valmiki makes their quests compelling and enhances the current revenues by ~2.5X!
Tags:2024, Accumulation, Blockbuster movies, Hanuman, Honour, Joseph Kosinski, Lee Isaac Chung, Mark L. Smith, Mythology, Plot Structure, Prediction, Psyche, Social Contact, storytelling, Universal Pictures, Valmiki
