Oppenheimer
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$257 – 315MM V $330MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
6.97% – 8.51%
Script Score
0.24
Oppenheimer, released in 2023 and directed by Christopher Nolan, chronicles the life of the American theoretical physicist who was instrumental in the development of the first nuclear weapon.
Though the movie is adapted from “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer’s journey in the movie mirrors the Greek myth of Daedalus.
1. The invisible plot structure of Oppenheimer
1A. The script of Oppenheimer borrows 88% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Robert’s quest is driven by the desire for self-reliance. The quest borrows events from Daedalus’ tale in Greek mythology. Both Daedalus & Robert are revered for their creations.
Strauss’ quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Both Circe and Strauss are snubbed so they seize control by treachery.
Leslie’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 Leslie’s Manhattan Project to create the atom bomb.
Kitty has no quest despite considerable screen time.
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
# 13,581
Tales interweaved
Daedalus, Jason & Circe
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 Oppenheimer's plot structure: $257 – 315MM
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 Oppenheimer
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Oppenheimer has 3 universal quests of Independence, Expedition & Power.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Oppenheimer mirrors the universal quest of Independence, Leslie mirrors the quest of Expedition & Strauss mirrors Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Oppenheimer borrows 45% events from the quest for Independence. Leslie borrows 16% events from Expedition and Strauss borrows 33% events from the quest for Power.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Oppenheimer’s quest interweaving of 0.67 is above the threshold.
An example of interweaving the quests of Oppenheimer & Strauss:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Oppenheimer
The plot structure of Oppenheimer has a moderately strong 2nd quest and a shallow 3rd 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
0.24
Audience appeal
6.97% - 8.51%
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 Oppenheimer
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: Oppenheimer mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Robert’s desire for Independence stems from his need for self-reliance & autonomy. The tale of Daedalus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
Quest 2: Strauss mirrors the universal quest for Power
Strauss’ desire for Power is motivated by the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 3: Leslie mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Leslie’s desire for Expedition is driven by the need to find an elusive object (the A-bomb). The tale of Jason is the universal quest for Expedition.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Strengthening the quests of Oppenheimer & Strauss increases the revenues marginally. We don’t see any further scope in strengthening Leslie’s universal quest.
The introduction of a fourth quest opens the possibility to exponentially grow revenues.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The opportunity of a 4th quest already exists in Oppenheimer’s plot structure.
Kitty is visible across the movie but without a perceptible desire and quest. Assigning the universal quest of Vengeance to Kitty, where she mirrors events from the tale of Dron in Hindu mythology, would have created the fourth quest.
Mythosis plot structure # 394,936 that interweaves the tales of Daedalus, Jason, Circe & Dron can double the existing revenues.
Contact us for Mythosis Plot Structure # 394,936
Tags: Daedalus, Christopher Nolan, Universal, Independence, 2023, Expedition, Jason, Power, Circe