Oppenheimer could have doubled its box-office collections

Oppenheimer’s predicted revenue:

USD 257-315mn (in US & Canada)

Oppenheimer’s plot structure score is 0.24. We estimate that the movie will appeal to 7.0 - 8.5% of the population. The movie will generate a revenue between 257 – 315mn USD in the domestic market.

Mythosis estimates audience appeal & unlocks the Blockbuster potential of stories 

Any story is the quest to fulfil a human desire. 

We have identified all universal quests for every human desire. We found these universal quests in 32 mythological tales from across cultures.

We have codified the 32 mythological tales to extract plot structures of stories. The analysis of Blockbusters, Hits & Flops plots led to the discovery of "Mythosis Code".

Mythosis Code: 

1. All Blockbusters borrow from at least 3 universal quests

2. Each character mirrors ONLY ONE universal quest for consistency

3. Characters borrow at least 35% events from their respective quests

4. The universal quests must be interwoven with a minimum score of 0.5 

Mythosis Code identifies the ideal Blockbuster plot structure for any story. It uses the ideal plot structure to estimate audience appeal and unlock the Blockbuster potential.

Oppenheimer’s plot structure is driven by only 2 characters

Oppenheimer uses 3 universal quests. Robert’s journey mirrors the universal quest of Independence. Strauss & Leslie mirror the universal quests of Power and Expedition. Despite substantial screen presence Kitty has no quest.

Robert & Strauss borrow 45% & 33% from their respective quests. However, Leslie borrows only 16% from his quest. (Annx 1)

Oppenheimer’s quest interweaving score is 0.67 which meets the Blockbuster criteria. Robert’s quest is interwoven with both Strauss & Leslie. (Annx 2)

Doubling Oppenheimer’s revenue with Mythosis interventions

All Blockbusters use 3 universal quests with a depth of 35% for each quest. The sparse usage of Leslie’s quest makes “the number of universal quests used” fall below the threshold of 3.

Oppenheimer needed another robust quest to double its revenue. We don’t see any further scope in strengthening Leslie’s universal quest. (Annx 1)

The possibility of creating another quest already exists in Oppenheimer’s plot structure. Kitty is visible across the movie but without a perceptible desire and quest.

Assigning a quest to Kitty would have created another robust universal quest. Oppenheimer missed an opportunity of becoming a blockbuster! 

Annexure 1: Mapping characters to the universal quests of Daedalus, Circe & Jason

At Mythosis, we have identified universal quests from thousands of mythological tales, fables, legends and literature. The mythological tale representing each universal quest is the super set of thousands of tales across cultures.

Every universal quest has 5 major arcs. A sequence of events culminates into a major event marking the end of the arc. We have mapped each character’s quest to the major events in the universal quest.

Quest 1: Robert mirrors Daedalus’ universal quest for Independence

Robert’s desire for Independence stems from his need for self-reliance & autonomy. The tale of Daedalus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Independence.

45% of Daedalus’ quest is borrowed by Robert – Above threshold of 35%

Quest 2: Strauss mirrors Circe’s universal quest for Power

Strauss’ desire for Power is motivated by the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.

33% of Circe’s quest is borrowed by Strauss – marginally below threshold of 35%

Quest 3: Leslie mirrors Jason’s universal quest for Expedition

Leslie’s desire for Expedition is driven by the need to find an elusive object (the A-bomb). The tale of Jason is the universal quest for Expedition.

16% of Jason’s quest is borrowed by Leslie – far below threshold of 35%, which adversely impacts the strength of the plot structure

Annexure 2: Interweaving multiple quests creates fresh stories

Every universal quest is a story in itself. These quests are adaptable to any world and/or setting. However, by combining multiple quests innumerable fresh stories are possible. The story of Oppenheimer interweaves 3 familiar tales of Daedalus with Circe & Jason.

Combining multiple quests to create a seamless story requires interweaving. Interweaving occurs when similar events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. 

Robert’s quest is interwoven with both Strauss & Leslie. But, the quests of Strauss & Leslie aren’t interwoven. Here is an example of interweaving the quests of Robert & Strauss