Night at the Museum
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$193 – 235MM V $251MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
9.8 – 11.98%
Script Score
0.34
Night at the Museum is a 2006 movie directed by Shawn Levy. The story revolves around a night security guard at the American Museum of Natural History who has to protect the hostile exhibits that come to life after the museum closes.
1. The invisible plot structure of Night at the Museum
1A. The script of Night at the Museum borrows 88% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Larry’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 return with The Golden Fleece is shared by Larry retrieving the golden tablet. Teddy’s quest is subsumed in Jason’s tale.
Cecil’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Both Circe and Cecil create a façade of godliness and treachery to control gullible victims.
Pharaoh’s quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Pharaoh Hair become loyal allies of those that they initially suspected.
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
# 18,253
Tales interweaved
Circe, 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. The potential of Night at the Museum's plot structure: $193 – 235MM
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 Night at the Museum
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Night at the Museum has 3 universal quests of Power, Expedition & Honour.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Cecil mirrors the universal quest of Power. Pharaoh mirrors the quest of Honour & Larry mirrors the quest of Expedition.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Cecil borrows 21% events from the universal quest for Power. Pharaoh borrows 16% events from the universal quest for Honour. Larry borrows 51% events from the universal quest for Expedition.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Night at the Museum’s quest interweaving score is 0.67 and is above par.
An example of interweaving of Larry’s & Pharaoh’s quests:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Night at the Museum
Even though the plot structure has 3 quests it depends heavily on one quest.
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
0.34
Audience appeal
9.8 – 11.98%
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 Night at the Museum
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: Cecil mirrors the universal quest for Power
Cecil’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Larry mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Larry’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 3: Pharaoh mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Pharaoh’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure suffers due to the weakness of the 2nd and 3rd quest.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Night at the Museum is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 18,253. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe, Jason & Hanuman.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 18,253.
Tags: Circe, Hanuman, Jason, Power, Honour, Expedition, Shawn Levy, 20th Century Fox, 1492 Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment, 2006