Top Gun Maverick
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$620 – 684MM V $719MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
17.64 – 19.50%
Script Score
0.61
Top Gun Maverick released in 2022 is directed by Joseph Kosinski. In the sequel, of 1986 film “Top Gun”, the story revolves around a maverick captain, his derisive superiors and his top recruit who harbours deep mistrust against him.
1. The invisible plot structure of Top Gun Maverick
1A. The script of Top Gun Maverick borrows 92% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Maverick’s quest is driven by the desire for approval by others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Theseus in Greek mythology. Both Theseus and Maverick overcome multiple challenges to get accepted by those who rejected them.
Maverick’s acceptance is brilliantly explored from multiple perspectives – Cyclone, Rooster, Hangman & Penny.
Cyclone’s quest mirrors the tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. The quest is driven by the desire for social standing & respect. Kaikeyi’s son, Bharat doesn’t support her decision to exile Ram. Similarly, Top Gun recruits favour Maverick’s plan and question Cyclone’s approach.
Rooster’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Rooster mistrust the “monster” that saved them but later fall in love.
Hangman & the other recruits’ quest driven by the desire to be loyal to ones’ clan/order is underdeveloped.
Penny reflects a desire of companionship but doesn’t have a 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
# 1,828
Tales interweaved
Theseus, Kaikeyi & Psyche
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 Top Gun Maverick’s plot structure: $620 – 684MM
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 Top Gun Maverick
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Top Gun Maverick has 3 universal quests of Acceptance, Status & Social Contact.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Maverick mirrors the universal quest of Acceptance. Rooster mirrors the quest of Social Contact. Cyclone mirrors the quest of Status.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Maverick borrows 68% events from the quest for Acceptance. Rooster borrows 36% events from the quest for Social Contact. Cyclone borrows 24% events from the quest for Status.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Top Gun Maverick’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Maverick & Cyclone:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Top Gun Maverick
The plot structure of Top Gun Maverick reveals strong characters with focussed quests which are tightly interwoven.
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
0.61
Audience appeal
17.64 – 19.50%
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 Top Gun Maverick
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: Maverick mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance
Maverick’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need for approval from others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
Quest 2: Cyclone mirrors the universal quest for Status
Cyclone’s desire for Status stems from the need for social standing & respect. The tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Status.
Quest 3: Rooster mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Rooster’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
There exists a possibility to strengthen Hangman’s quest of Honour and introduce the quest of Accumulation for Penny.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Top Gun Maverick is a subset of blockbuster plot structure # 1,828.It emerges from interweaving the tales of Theseus, Kaikeyi & Psyche.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 1,828
Tags: Theseus, Kaikeyi, Psyche, Acceptance, Status, Social Contact, Joseph Kosinski, Paramount Pictures, Skydance, TC Productions, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films 2022