The Substance
A Faustian Fable with Fractured Architecture
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$14 – 22MM V $18MM
Mythosis universal quests used
2
Audience appeal
~0.46%
Hidden Potential
$421-466MM
Released in 2024 The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, reimagines body horror as a modern Faustian fable. The pursuit of beauty entangles with timeless archetypes of temptation and naked ambition. At its core lies a seductive bargain, but the narrative architecture remains uneven. The invisible architecture gestures toward resonance but falters in cohesion. Thereby preventing it from achieving the layered drama of true blockbuster storytelling.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Substance
1A. Script of The Substance borrows 90% of its events from 2 mythological tales
Sue’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Sue are self-centered and even sacrifice the interest of others.
The desire to explore and discover drives Elisabeth’s quest of Curiosity. The quest borrows events from the tale of Eve in Abrahamic mythology. Both Eve and Elisabeth are unable to resist temptation and pay the price.
Harvey & The Substance Corp have non-existent quests of Status & Power.
Mythosis plot structure
191
Tales interweaved
Eve & Valmik
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 The Substance’s plot structure: $14 – 22MM
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 The Substance
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Substance primarily uses the universal quest of Accumulation. The quest of Curiosity is sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Elisabeth mirrors the universal quest of Curiosity whereas Sue mirrors the quest of Accumulation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Elisabeth borrows 10% events from the quest of Curiosity. Sue borrows 24% from Accumulation.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Substance’s quest interweaving score of 0.3 is below par.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Substance
The Substance has two prominent characters however, both characters don’t have a layered, compelling journey. Since Sue’s journey is moderate and Elisabeth’s journey is shallow the structure depends heavily on just one narrative.
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
0.01
Audience appeal
~0.46%
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 The Substance
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. Gaps in the current plot structure
Inadequate Quest Borrowing: No character meaningfully embodies their assigned quest, resulting in flat, unlayered arcs. The low number of events employed from the two quests weakens narrative momentum and leads to repetition.
Structural Deadweight: Supporting figures like Harvey and The Substance Corp operate without active quests, offering aesthetic presence but no functional contribution to the story’s architecture.
3B. Mythic Echoes: From Faust to The Substance
Elisabeth’s journey is not one of passive victimhood rather it is a Faustian descent. Her pact with Sue, like Faust’s with Mephistopheles, is born of longing and ends in transformation. The Substance Corp, like the Devil, remains abstract and omnipotent. While Sue performs the intimate betrayal. The result is a narrative that gestures toward mythic resonance but lacks the structural cohesion to fully realize it.
With refinement, The Substance could transcend genre and become a modern myth. One that speaks to our deepest desires, our darkest bargains and the eternal cost of wanting more!
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
The Substance reveals its untapped brilliance when restructured through Mythosis Plot Structure 17,918. A layered blueprint that fuses the universal quests of Curiosity, Power and Accumulation into a cohesive dramatic narrative.
At the heart of this reimagining lies a Faustian architecture:
- Elisabeth as Faust: disillusioned, yearning, and desperate to reclaim her fame and agency.
- Sue as Mephistopheles: seductive, manipulative and dispatched by a higher power.
- The Substance Corp as the Devil: distant, abstract and cloaked in the promise of transformation.
Just as Mephistopheles tempts Faust with transcendence and draws him into irreversible moral compromise, Sue guides Elisabeth toward a point of no return. The betrayal is intimate! The robustness of this structure is revealed by three universal quests:
- Elisabeth channels Eve’s Curiosity, her ambition fueled by temptation and punished by consequence.
- Sue mirrors Valmiki’s Accumulation, sacrificing others in pursuit of self-serving gain.
- The Substance Corp adopts Circe’s Power, presenting a façade of godliness while seeking domination.
Together, these arcs transform the film from a fragmented, single-quest narrative into a harmonized tapestry of Curiosity, Power, and Accumulation. By restoring missing quest events and fortifying the Power arc, the story evolves into a compelling structure with deeper motivations, emotional layering, and interlinked character trajectories.
With this refined foundation rooted in universal human behavior, The Substance could unlock far greater audience engagement and project lifetime domestic box office revenues of $421–466MM.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure #17,918
Tags: Eve, Curiosity, Valmiki, Accumulation, Coralie Fargeat, Working Title Films, Mubi, 2024