The Sum of All Fears
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$101 – 123MM V $118MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
6.45 – 7.02%
Script Score
0.23
The Sum of All Fears released in 2002, directed by Phil Robinson is based on Tom Clancy’s novel. The story revolves around a CIA analyst who prevents a militant group from provoking a nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Sum of All Fears
1A. The script of The Sum of All Fears borrows 87% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Ryan’s quest driven by the desire of independence. The quest borrows events from tale of David in Abrahamic mythology. Both David and Ryan prove their worth when they finally get an opportunity.
Cabot’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat. The quest borrows events from the tale of Noah in Abrahamic mythology. Both Noah & Cabot look for a safe passage to protect others from a calamity.
Dressler is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Circe in Greek mythology. Similar to Circe, Dressler uses deceit to achieve its objectives.
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
# 18,145
Tales interweaved
Circe, David & Noah
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 Sum of All Fears’ plot structure: $101 – 123MM
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 Sum of All Fears
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Sum of All Fears has 3 universal quests of Independence, Power & Preservation.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Ryan mirrors the universal quest of Independence. Dressler mirrors the quest of Power. Cabot mirrors the quest of Preservation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Ryan borrows 21% events from the quest for Independence. Dressler borrows 25% events from the quest for Power. Cabot borrows 12% events from the quest for Preservation.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Sum of All Fears’s has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1.
An example of interweaving the quests of Cabot & Dressler:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Sum of All Fears
The plot structure of The Sum of All Fears 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
6.45 – 7.02%
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 Sum of All Fears
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: Dressler mirrors the universal quest for Power
Dressler’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate over other. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Cabot mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Cabot’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 3: Ryan mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Ryan’s desire for Independence stems from the need for self-reliance. The tale of David from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
In The Sum Of All Fears’ plot structure none of the quests are robust.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Sum of All Fears is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 18,145. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Circe, David & Noah.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 18,145
Tags: David, Noah, Circe, Independence, Preservation, Power, Phil Alden Robinson, Mace Neufeld Productions, MFP Munich Film Partners, S.O.A.F. Productions, Paramount Pictures, 2002