Americana
A stylish neo-Western with no substance
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$1.69 – 2.81MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
~0.05%
Hidden potential
$503– 555MM
Directed by Tony Tost, Americana draws clear inspiration from the narrative style of Tarantino and the genre fusing of Coen Brothers. He blends crime thriller with dark comedy to craft a modern Western. The story plot tracks a dealer orchestrating the theft of a prized artifact, a waitress pursuing it to fulfill her dreams, a woman who takes it for herself, and the rightful owner intent on getting it back. Despite the stunning cinematography, character arcs are thin, the pacing drags and the structure feels uneven.
1. The invisible plot structure of Americana
1A. Script of Americana borrows 90% of its events from 6 mythological tales
Every character quest in Americana is underdeveloped
Mandy & Penny’s quests are driven by selfishness. Their quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Similar to Valmiki their ambition is to accumulate without caring about the interest of others.
The desire to punish offenders drives Roy’s quest of Vengeance. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan’s treacherous attempt to take over the kingdom is similar to Roy trying to acquire the Lakota ghost shirt.
The desire for honour drives Lefty’s quest. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Lefty demonstrate unquestioned loyalty even sacrificing themselves to protect their friends.
The desire to find an elusive object/person drives Ghost Eye’s quest for Expedition. The quest borrows events from the tale of Jason in Greek mythology. Similar to Jason’s quest for The Golden Fleece, Ghost Eye embarks on reclaiming the Lakota ghost shirt.
The desire to gain approval of others drives Cal’s quest of Acceptance. The quest borrows events from the tale of Karn in Hindu mythology. Both Karn and Cal constantly face ridicule, betrayal and rejection.
The desire to dominate others drives Dillon’s quest for Power. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Dillon acquire unscrupulously without any concern for the consequences.
Mythosis plot structure
869,907
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan, Valmiki, 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. Potential of Americana's plot structure: $1.69 – 2.81MM
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. The Code is a set of principles for creating compelling stories. These storytelling principles reveal the strength of a story’s plot structure.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Americana
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Americana uses 6 universal quests but none of the quests are developed.
- In Blockbusters, every character mirrors ONLY ONE universal quest. Each character’s mirroring of their respective universal quest is limited to a few events.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mandy & Penny borrow 7% events from the universal quest of Accumulation. All other characters borrow less than 5% events from their quests.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Americana’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Americana
The script’s non-linear ambition is undermined by its execution gaps:
- Characters don’t carry their quests with enough weight hence viewer’s emotional investment suffers.
- Events lack interdependence, making the story feel episodic rather than cohesive.
The Script Score measures the potency of a plot structure. Higher its adherence to the principles of Mythosis Code, greater is the potency. The Script Score helps 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
0.0016
Audience appeal
~0.05%
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. Ideal plot structure of Americana
We have identified 32 mythological tales. These are the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours 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.
32 mythological tales strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential. First, we map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale. This exercise reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Second, identify missing events to plug the gaps. Plugging gaps deepens the character quest. Third, use missing events to strengthen the interweaving between various quests.
3A. Gaps in the current plot structure
All blockbusters interweave at least 3 universal quests. Each quest is mirrored by a single character where every character borrows 35%+ events from their respective quest. A redraft of the script is necessitated by the fact that Americana doesn’t adhere to any of the first principles of storytelling.
3B. Unlocking the hidden potential
Mythosis plot structure #869,907 unlocks the hidden potential of Americana. The plot weaves the universal quests of Vengeance, Accumulation, Expedition & Honour.
This plot structure deepens existing quests in the current story and removes unnecessary quests and their events.
By aligning individual characters with a compelling mythological arc, the story dramatically increases its emotional reach and commercial success. Mythosis plot structure #869,907 can generate a lifetime domestic revenue of $502 – 555MM.
Access Mythosis Plot structure # 869,907 – the unique blockbuster blueprint of Americana
Tags: Duryodhan, Vengeance, Hanuman, Honour, Jason, Expedition, Valmiki, Accumulation, Tony Tost, Bron Studios, Lionsgate, 2025