Novocaine
Realistic tension gives way to exaggerated heroics
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$23 – 35MM
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
~0.70%
Hidden potential
$317 – 352MM
Released in 2025, Novocaine directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen follows a guy with a rare genetic disorder trying to save the girl he loves who has been taken hostage by bank robbers.
The movie starts strong, showcasing the protagonist’s vulnerability imposed by his disorder but loses impact when it turns his condition from a compelling obstacle into a superpower-like trait.
1. The invisible plot structure of Novocaine
1A. The script of Novocaine borrows 92% of its events from 5 mythological tales
Nathan’s quest is driven by the desire for order. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ram from Hindu mythology. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ram in Hindu mythology. Both Ram & Nathan take help of allies to apprehend an abductor and free their loved ones.
Simon’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 Simon take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Sherry’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, Sherry rebels to stop the exploitation by unscrupulous forces.
Mincy’s 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 find The Golden Fleece is shared by Mincy’s mission to find the ban robbers.
Roscoe’s underdeveloped quest borrows a few events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Roscoe demonstrate unquestioned loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect their friends. Nathan also borrows a few events from this 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
# 553,170
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Prometheus, Ram & 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 Novocaine's plot structure: $23–35MM
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 Novocaine
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Novocaine uses 2 universal quests of Order & Power. The quests of Idealism, Expedition & Honour are sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Nathan mirrors the universal quests of Order & Honour. Simon mirrors the quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Nathan borrows 21% events from the quest of Order & 4% from Honour. Simon borrows 16% events from Power. Sherry & Mincy borrow 6% from Idealism & Expedition.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Novocaine’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Nathan & Simon:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Novocaine
The script solely focusses on developing Nathan’s quest. As a result, none of the other characters have a well-developed quest. Not borrowing enough events from each quest has created a uni-dimensional plot structure.
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
0.02
Audience appeal
~0.70%
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 Novocaine
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: Nathan mirrors the universal quest for Order
Nathan’s desire for Order stems from the need to maintain social stability. The tale of Ram from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Order.
Quest 2: Simon mirrors the universal quest for Power
Simon’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 Novocaine incorporates multiple quests, but fails to explore these threads and utilize them effectively.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The script of Novocaine is a subset of Mythosis Plot structure # 553,170. It interweaves the tales of Ravan, Prometheus, Ram & Hanuman.
This plot structure reveals several events to deepen the quest of each character and create a compelling story.
The plot structure can generate domestic revenues of $317 – 352MM!
Explore Mythosis plot structure # 553,170 to enhance current revenues by 10X!
Tags: Ram, Order, Ravan, Power, Dan Berk, Robert Olsen, Paramount Pictures, 2025