The Dark Knight
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$458 – 530MM V $533MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
19.86 – 24.27%
Script Score
0.69
The Dark Knight is the only blockbuster movie directed by Christopher Nolan till date. The plot revolves around Joker pushing Batman to his limits who makes the ultimate sacrifice and saves the city from chaos.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Dark Knight
1A. The script of The Dark Knight borrows 98% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Batman’s quest is driven by the desire to maintain stability mirrors the tale of Bhishm from Hindu mythology. Both Bhishm & Batman take a vow to protect their kingdom from falling into chaos.
Joker’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Joker acquire unscrupulously and punish their challengers.
Harvey’s quest is also driven by the desire to serve a clan/order and mirrors the tale of Amba from Hindu mythology. Both Amba & Harvey pay a price for their righteousness.
Maroni’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat and mirrors the tale of Kans from Hindu mythology. Both Kans & Maroni fail to overpower their nemesis.
Gordon has an under developed quest. Rachel has no 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
# 880,552
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan, Bhishm, Kans & Amba
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 The Dark Knight's plot structure: $458 – 530MM
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 Dark Knight
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Dark Knight uses 3 universal quests of Order, Honour & Vengeance. The quest of Preservation is scarcely used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Batman mirrors the quest of Order. Joker mirrors the quest of Vengeance. Harvey mirrors the quest of Honour. Maroni mirrors the quest of Preservation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Joker borrows 48% events from the quest for Vengeance. Batman borrows 45% events from the quest for Order. Harvey borrows 52% events from the quest for Honour.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Dark Knight’s quest interweaving score of 0.50 is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Batman & Harvey:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight’s plot structure isn’t interwoven tightly due to the absence of quests in characters besides Batman, Joker & Harvey.
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
0.69
Audience appeal
19.86 – 24.27%
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 The Dark Knight
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: Batman mirrors the universal quest for Order
Batman’s desire for Order stems from the need to maintain stability. The tale of Bhishm from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Order.
Quest 2: Harvey mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Harvey’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve a clan/order. The tale of Amba from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Joker mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Joker’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
Quest 4: Maroni mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Maroni’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure isn’t interwoven tightly.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Dark Knight is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 880,552. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Duryodhan, Bhishm, Kans & Amba.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 880,552.
Tags: Kans, Bhishm, Duryodhan, Amba, Preservation, Order, Vengeance, Honour, Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008