Titanic
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$498 – 550MM V $601MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
39.42 – 43.57%
Script Score
1.30
Titanic released in 1997 was a colossus success both commercially and critically. The movie acclaimed for its groundbreaking visual effects, powerful score and iconic song also has a powerful plot structure. James Cameron masterfully weaves a fictional love story with a real-life tragedy.
1. The invisible plot structure of Titanic
1A. The script of Titanic borrows 98% of its events from 6 mythological tales
Rose’s quest is driven by the desire to find love. The quest borrows events from the tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology. Both Savitri and Rose attempt to rescue their loved ones from death.
Every human desire has two quests – fulfilled and unfulfilled. Titanic uses both the universal quests of Romance.
Jack’s quest is driven by the desire to find love. The quest borrows events from the tale of Leander from Greek mythology. Both Leander and Jack lose their lives trying to reunite with their true love.
Cal’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan duping his cousins to control the kingdom is similar to Cal implicating Jack for robbery to win back Rose.
Ruth’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Ruth are self-centred but have a change of heart.
Andrew’s quest is driven by the desire to protect. The quest borrows events from the tale of Oedipus in Greek mythology. Both Oedipus & Andrew fail to protect due to an error in judgement and sacrifice themselves.
Lovett’s quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Gilgamesh in Sumerian mythology. Both Gilgamesh & Lovett set out to find the “elixir of life”.
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
# 24,392,859
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan, Valmiki, Savitri, Romeo & 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 Titanic's plot structure: $498 – 550MM
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 Titanic
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Titanic uses 6 mythological tales to capture the desires of Romance, Expedition, Power, Accumulation & Family.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Jack mirrors the universal unfulfilled quest of Romance whereas Rose mirrors the fulfilled quest of Romance. CAL mirrors the quest of Vengeance & Ruth mirrors the quest of Accumulation. Lovett mirrors the quest of Expedition. Andrew mirrors the quest of Family.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Jack borrows 58% events from the unfulfilled quest of Romance whereas Rose borrows 80% from the fulfilled quest. Cal borrows 62% of the quest for Power. Ruth borrows 28% of the quest of Accumulation & Andrew borrows 23% of the quest of Family. Lovett borrows 25% of the quest for Expedition.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Titanic’s quest interweaving is 0.5 and is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Rose & Cal:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Titanic
The plot structure of Titanic ranks as the fourth most robust among Hollywood productions over the past 50 years.
Jaws, E.T. & The Exorcist hold the top three positions.
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
1.30
Audience appeal
39.42 – 43.57%
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 Titanic
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: Lovett mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Lovett’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive object. The tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Rose mirrors the universal quest for Romance
Rose’s desire for Romance stems from the need for sex & courtship. The tale of Savitri from Hindu mythology is the universal fulfilled quest for Romance.
Quest 3: Jack mirrors the universal quest for Romance
Jack’s desire for Romance stems from the need for sex & courtship. The tale of Leander from Greek mythology is the universal unfulfilled quest for Romance.
Quest 4: Cal mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Cal’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to confront offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 5: Ruth mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Ruth’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 6: Andrew mirrors the universal quest for Family
Andrew’s desire for Family stems from the need to protect & nurture. The tale of Oedipus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
A strong plot structure with no gaps
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Titanic is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 24,392,859. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Duryodhan, Valmiki, Savitri, Romeo & Oedipus.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 24,392,859.
Tags: Gilgamesh, Duryodhan, Leander, Savitri, Oedipus, Valmiki, Romance, Power, Family, Expedition, Accumulation, James Cameron, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, 1997