Napoleon
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$40 – 48MM V $61MM
Mythosis universal quests used
2
Audience appeal
1.12 – 1.38%
Script Score
0.04
Napoleon is a 2023 biographical war movie directed by Ridley Scott that chronicles Napoleon’s rise and fall through his various military and political strategies.
1. The invisible plot structure of Napoleon
1A. The script of Napoleon borrows 92% of its events from 2 mythological tales
Napoleon’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Napoleon unscrupulously take control of a kingdom they were serving.
Josephine’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Josephine are deserted by their loved one.
None of the other characters have a 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
# 1,018
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan & Psyche
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 Napoleon's plot structure: $40-48MM
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 Napoleon
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Napoleon uses 2 universal quests of Vengeance & Social Contact.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Napoleon mirrors the universal quest of Vengeance. Josephine mirrors the quest of Social Contact.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Napoleon’s character borrows 54% of the universal quest of Vengeance. Josephine’s character borrows 32% of the quest of Social Contact.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The quests in Napoleon aren’t interwoven!
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Napoleon
Napoleon has a disjointed plot structure because the quests aren’t interwoven.
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
1.12 – 1.38%
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 Napoleon
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: Napoleon mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Napoleon ’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
Quest 2: Josephine mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Josephine’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Napoleon’s script needs to be re written since it doesn’t follow the first principles of storytelling.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Napoleon’s script has a well developed quest of Vengeance. This quest when interwoven with other universal quests has helped create many compelling stories.
Universal quest of Vengeance is found in Iron Man, Lion King, Black Panther, Jurassic World.
Tags: Psyche, Duryodhan, Vengeance, Social Contact, Ridley Scott, Apple Studios, Scott Free Productions, Sony Pictures, 2023