Moana 2
A lacklustre rehash of the original
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$143 – 215MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
3.66% – 5.50%
Hidden potential
$600 – 660MM
Don’t get fooled by Moana 2 breaking records in the opening week at the box office. The movie has had a tepid response in the international markets. Moreover, since the Thanksgiving weekend there is a massive drop in collections… unprecedented for a smashing weekend opening. Moana 2’s plot structure drawn from three mythological tales indicates shallow quests and several gaps in the story. Disney’s marketing and distribution will push it to ~$360–390MM!
1. The invisible plot structure of Moana 2
1A. The script of Moana 2 borrows 92% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Moana’s quest is driven by the desire to find an elusive person/object and mirrors the tale of Jason from Greek mythology. Jason and the Argonauts for their journey to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Similarly, Moana & crew travel to find the lost island of Motefetu.
Maui’s quest is driven by the desire for honour and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Maui demonstrate loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Nalo’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and borrows events from the tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Nalo take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Matangi & Kakamoras have underdeveloped quests of Idealism & Honour. None of the characters have any quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters in Moana 2 and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
#19,183
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Jason & 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. The potential of Moana 2’s plot structure: $143 – 215MM
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 Moana 2
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Moana 2 uses 3 universal quests of Expedition, Power & Honour.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Moana mirrors the universal quest of Expedition. Maui mirrors the quests of Honour. Nalo mirrors the universal quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Moana borrows 27% events from the quest of Expedition. Maui borrows 10% from the quest of Honour. Nalo borrows 16% from the quest of Power.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Moana 2’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Moana & Nalo:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Moana 2
Even though Moana 2 uses 3 mythological tales, the characters borrow sparingly from these tales. As a result, all the character quests are shallow which in turn also creates gaps in the story.
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
0.13
Audience appeal
3.66% - 5.50%
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 Moana 2
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 in Moana 2 and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Moana mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Moana’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find and elusive person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Maui mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Maui’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.
Quest 3: Nalo mirrors the universal quest for Power
Nalo’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure of Moana 2 is weakened by shallow quests. The quests of all three characters doesn’t mirror enough events from their respective mythological tales.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Moana 2’s plot is a subset of Mythosis plot structure #19,183 that interweaves the mythological tales of Ravan, Jason & Hanuman. The additional events from this plot structure assists in
a. Deepening the quests of Moana, Maui & Nalo
b. Removing gaps in the plot structure
Explore Mythosis plot structure #19,183 to enhance revenues by 4x!
Tags: Ravan, Power, Hanuman, Honour, Jason, Expedition, David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, Jared Bush, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2024