Hugo
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$58 – 70MM V $74MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
2.33 – 2.85%
Script Score
0.08
Hugo is a 2011 movie directed by Martin Scorsese based on Brian Selznick’s book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” The story revolves around an orphan boy and a once-famous filmmaker who has fallen into obscurity.
1. The invisible plot structure of Hugo
1A. The script of Hugo borrows 91% of its events from 3 mythological tales
George’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & George are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart.
Hugo’s quest is driven by the desire to gain approval of others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Karn in Hindu mythology. Both Karn and Hugo find acceptance after being constantly rejected.
Tabard’s underdeveloped quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Jason in Greek mythology. Jason’s desire to return with The Golden Fleece is shared by Tabard finding George.
Gustave has an under developed quest of vengeance – the need to confront and punish offenders, whereas Isabelle doesn’t have any quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 3,859
Tales interweaved
Valmiki, Karn & Jason
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Hugo's plot structure: $58 – 70MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Hugo
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Hugo has 2 universal quests of Accumulation & Acceptance. The quests of Expedition is sparsely used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. George mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation. Hugo mirrors the quest of Acceptance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. George borrows 24% events from the quest for Accumulation. Hugo borrows 14% events from the quest for Acceptance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Hugo’s quest interweaving score is 1 which is perfect.
An example of interweaving the quests of George & Hugo:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Hugo
The plot structure of Hugo borrows from 3 universal quests which are perfectly interwoven. However, the low depth of each character quest weakens the plot.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.08
Audience appeal
2.33 – 2.85%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Hugo
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Hugo mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance
Hugo’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval from others. The tale of Karn from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
Quest 2: George mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
George’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect and 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
Hugo’s plot structure doesn’t invest in character quests.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Hugo is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 3,859. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Valmiki, Karn & Jason.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 3,859
Tags: Prediction, Valmiki, Jason, Theseus, Accumulation, Expedition, Acceptance, Martin Scorsese, GK Films, Infinitum Nihil, Paramount Pictures, 2011