Parasite
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$38 – 46MM V $54MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
1.27 – 1.55%
Script Score
0.04
Parasite is a 2019 South Korean movie directed by Bong Joon Ho. The movie portrays a destitute family who cunningly infiltrate a wealthy household by taking over positions held by individuals of similar social status.
1. The invisible plot structure of Parasite
1A. The script of Parasite borrows 94% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Ki Woo’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 Ki Woo navigate their way through hostile territory. The quests of Ki Jung & Chung Sook are subsumed in the quest of Ki Woo. They play the role of Odysseus’ crew.
Moon Gwang’s quest is driven by loyalty & honour. The quest borrows events from the tale of Amba from Hindu mythology. After being humiliated and dishonoured, both Amba & Moon Gwang cease to be righteous but pay a price.
Ki Taek’s underdeveloped quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Ki Taek avenge their humiliation.
Yeon Gyo & Dong Ik have no 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
# 27,364
Tales interweaved
Odysseus, Amba & Duryodhan
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 Parasite's plot structure: $38-46MM
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 Parasite
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Parasite uses 2 universal quests of Tranquillity & Honour. The quest of Vengeance is sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Ki Woo mirrors the universal quests of Tranquillity. Moon Gwang mirrors the quest of Honour.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Ki Woo borrows 21% events from the quest of Tranquillity. Moon Gwang borrows 21% events from Honour. Ki Taek borrows 7% events from Vengeance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Parasite’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Ki Woo & Moon Gwang:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Parasite
The script leverages two quests but fails to explore them in-depth. Moreover, the third quest of vengeance is non-existent and not interwoven with the other quests thereby impacting the cohesiveness of 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
0.04
Audience appeal
1.27 – 1.55%
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 Parasite
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
Ki Woo’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: Moon Gwang mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Moon Gwang’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to one’s clan/order. The tale of Amba from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure of Parasite has 2 shallow quests and a 3rd non-existent quest.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot structure of Parasite is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 27,364. It interweaves the tales of Odysseus, Amba & Duryodhan.
Contact us for Mythosis Plot Structure # 27,364
Tags: Odysseus, Tranquillity, Amba, Honour, Bong Joon Ho, CJ Entertainment, 2019