Mickey 17
A high concept hijacked by Creepers
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$43 – 64MM
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
1.15% – 1.41%
Hidden potential
$444 – 490MM
Released in 2025, Mickey 17 written and directed by Bong Joon-ho is based on the 2022 novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. The story is about a disposable worker who gets cloned every time he dies, a failed leader on Earth who needs such workers for research in a space colony and a security officer who sees through the leader’s nefarious plans.
1. The invisible plot structure of Mickey 17
1A. The script of Mickey 17 borrows 91% of its events from 5 mythological tales
Mickey 17’s quest is driven by the desire to be in a safe environment. The quest borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Both Odysseus and Mickey 17 navigate their way through hostile territory.
Nasha’s quest is driven by the desire for fairness and justice. The quest borrows events from the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Similar to Prometheus, Nasha rebels to stop the exploitation by unscrupulous forces.
Nasha has another quest driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows few events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology.
Kenneth’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Kenneth take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Mickey 18’s quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Mickey 18 demonstrate unquestioned loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect their friends.
Timo has an underdeveloped quest driven by selfishness.
None of the other characters have any quests.
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
# 567,032
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Odysseus, Prometheus & Hanuman
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. Potential of Mickey 17's plot structure: $43–64MM
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 Mickey 17
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Mickey 17 uses 4 universal quests of Honour, Idealism, Power & Tranquillity. The quest of Social contact is sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Mickey 17 mirrors the universal quest of Tranquillity. Kenneth mirrors the quest of Power. Nasha mirrors the quest of Social contact & Idealism. Mickey 18 mirrors Honour.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mickey 17 borrows 16% events from the quest of Tranquillity. Mickey 18 borrows 11% from the quest of Honour & Kenneth borrows 13% events from Power. Nasha borrows 12% from Idealism & 4% from Social contact.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Mickey 17’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Kenneth & Nasha:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Mickey 17
Every quest in the script of Mickey 17 is shallow quests. Not borrowing enough events from each quest, creates gaps in the plot structure. This is further compounded by Nasha’s inconsistent quest.
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
0.04
Audience appeal
1.15% – 1.41%
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 Mickey 17
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: Mickey 17 mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Mickey 17’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in a secure environment. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 2: Kenneth mirrors the universal quest for Power
Kenneth’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 3: Nasha mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
Nasha’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
Quest 4: Mickey 18 mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Mickey 18’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to one’s clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Since every quest in Mickey 17 is under developed, not only is the plot structure disjointed but more importantly the character motivations aren’t clear.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The script of Mickey 17 is a subset of Mythosis Plot structure # 567,032. It interweaves the tales of Ravan, Odysseus, Prometheus & Hanuman.
This plot structure deepens the quest of every character. It also prevents the script from digressing into “The Creepers”. Thereby, creating the foundation for a cohesive story that enhances current revenues.
The plot structure can generate domestic revenues of $444 – 490MM!
Explore Mythosis plot structure # 567,032 to enhance current revenues by 8X!
Tags: Odysseus, Tranquillity, Ravan, Power, Hanuman, Honour, Prometheus, Idealism, Bong Joon-ho, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2025