The Revenant
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$177 – 197MM V $184MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
6.56 – 7.29%
Script Score
0.23
The Revenant is a 2015 movie directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and known for its stunning visuals. The story is a re-imagination of Odysseus’ quest – surviving after falling prey to both cruelty and misfortune – in a new setting.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Revenant
1A. The script of The Revenant borrows 89% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Glass’ quest is driven by the desire to be in a safe environment. The quest borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Odysseus and Glass navigate their way through hostile territory.
Fitzgerald’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Fitzgerald use treachery to avenge their humiliation.
Henry’s quest is driven by the desire to protect. The quest borrows events from the tale of Oedipus in Greek mythology. Both Oedipus & Henry fail to protect due to an error in judgement.
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
# 27,972
Tales interweaved
Odysseus, Duryodhan & Oedipus
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 Revenant’s plot structure: $177 – 197MM
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 Revenant
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Revenant has 3 universal quests of Family, Vengeance & Tranquillity.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Henry mirrors the universal quest of Family. Fitzgerald mirrors the quest of Vengeance. Glass mirrors the quest of Tranquillity.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Henry borrows 13% events from the quest for Family. Fitzgerald borrows 27% events from the quest for Vengeance. Glass borrows 27% events from the quest for Tranquillity.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Revenant has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1.
An example of interweaving the quests of Fitzgerald & Henry:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Revenant
The plot structure of The Revenant perfectly interweaves 3 universal quests which are mirrored by uniquely by one character. However, all 3 characters don’t have sufficient depth since they borrow inadequately from their respective quests.
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
0.23
Audience appeal
6.56 – 7.29%
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 Revenant
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: Fitzgerald mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Fitzgerald’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 2: Glass mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Glass’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in secure surroundings. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 3: Henry mirrors the universal quest for Family
Henry’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture & protect. The tale of Oedipus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
In The Revenant’s plot structure none of the quests are robust.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Revenant is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 27,972. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Odysseus, Duryodhan & Oedipus.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure #27,972
Tags: Oedipus, Odysseus, Duryodhan, Family, Tranquillity, Vengeance, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Regency Enterprises, RatPac Entertainment, Appian Way Productions, 20th Century Fox, 2015