JAWS
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$202 – 223MM V $260MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
46.09 – 50.94%
Script Score
1.52
Jaws is a 1975 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg based on Peter Benchley’s book. The movie is about a menacing shark that destroys the peace of a resort island until three men hunt it down.
1. The invisible plot structure of Jaws
1A. The script of Jaws borrows 98% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Brody’s quest is driven by the desire for finding and elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Jason in Greek mythology. Jason’s desire to find The Golden Fleece is shared by Brody who wants to find the killer shark.
Vaughan’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Both Circe and Vaughan create a façade of godliness to take control of gullible victims.
Hooper’s quest is driven by the desire to explore & discover. The quest borrows events from the tale of Innana in Sumerian mythology. Both Innana & Hooper get trapped in the “Underworld” and have to be rescued.
Quint’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Quint are self-centered and don’t care about the interest of others.
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
# 530,284
Tales interweaved
Circe, Jason, Innana & Valmiki
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 Jaws' plot structure: $202 – 223MM
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 Jaws
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. JAWS uses 4 universal quests of Expedition, Power, Accumulation and Curiosity.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Brody mirrors the quest of Expedition. Hooper mirrors the universal quest of Curiosity & Vaughan mirrors the quest of Power. Quint mirrors the quest of Accumulation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Brody borrows 51% events from the quest for Expedition. Hooper borrows 49% events from the quest for Curiosity. Vaughan borrows 34% events from the quest for Power whereas Quint borrows 32% events from the quest for Accumulation.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Jaws has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1.
An example of interweaving the quests of Hooper & Quint:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Jaws
Jaws’ plot structure is the most robust among Hollywood productions over the past 50 years.
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
1.52
Audience appeal
46.09 – 50.94%
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 Jaws
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: Brody mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Brody’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to be find an elusive person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Hooper mirrors the universal quest for Curiosity
Hooper’s desire for Curiosity stems from the need to explore & discover. The tale of Innana from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Curiosity.
Quest 3: Vaughan mirrors the universal quest for Power
Vaughan’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 4: Quint mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Quint’s desire 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
A strong plot structure with no gaps
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Jaws is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 530,284. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe, Jason, Innana & Valmiki.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 530,284.
Tags: Innana, Jason, Circe, Valmiki, Curiosity, Expedition, Accumulation, Power, Steven Spielberg, Zanuck/Brown Company, Universal Pictures, 1975