The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$111 – 137MM V $166MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
2.81 – 3.43%
Script Score
0.10
Released in 2023 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012) and the fifth installment in The Hunger Games franchise. Directed by Francis Lawrence the movie follows Coriolanus Snow seeking to restore his family’s prosperity in Panem.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
1A. Script of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes borrows 91% of its events from 6 mythological tales
Snow’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 Snow create a façade of godliness and treachery to seize control.
Lucy Gray’s quest is also driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Noah in Abrahamic mythology. Noah is clueless about saving others till God instructs him to build an Ark. Similarly, Lucy Gray is able to survive with Coriolanus’ help.
Lucy Gray’s quest is also driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Siavash in Persian mythology. Both Siavash and Lucy Gray see each one of their relationship crumble for no fault of theirs.
Highbottom’s under developed quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Highbottom avenge their humiliation by exiling their adversaries.
Gaul & Sejanus don’t have a quest. The events of Gaul’s vindictive behaviour are borrowed from the tale of Kans and of Sejanus’ idealism from the tale of Prometheus.
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
# 30,416
Tales interweaved
Circe, Noah & Duryodhan
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 Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' plot structure: $111-137MM
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 Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has 3 universal quests of Vengeance, Power & Preservation. The quest of Social Contact is sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Lucy Gray mirrors two quests of Preservation & Social Contact. Coriolanus mirrors the quest of Power & Highbottom mirrors Vengeance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Coriolanus borrows 36% events from the universal quest for Power. Lucy Gray borrows 15% events from the quest for Preservation & 6% from Social Contact. Highbottom borrows 11% from Vengeance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Coriolanus & Lucy Gray:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
The plot structure consists of 3 character quests: well-developed, inconsistent and shallow.
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
0.10
Audience appeal
2.81 – 3.43%
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 Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
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: Lucy Gray mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Lucy Gray’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Noah from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 2: Coriolanus mirrors the universal quest for Power
Coriolanus’ desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The 2nd quest in the plot structure is inconsistent whereas the 3rd quest is shallow.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure #30,416. It interweaves the tales of Circe, Noah & Duryodha.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot Structure # 30,416
Tags: Duryodhan, Circe, Psyche, Noah, Social Contact, Preservation, Power, Vengeance, Francis Lawrence, Color Force, Lionsgate, 2023