"What Hogwarts is to magic, Tomorrowland is to science: They are both easy to find if you are a wizard and very difficult to find if you're a Muggle," said Damon Lindelof, co-writer of the Disney movie Tomorrowland back in October 2014.
Lindelof (who is known for scribing Lost and Star Trek Into Darkness) certainly raised expectations with his remark framing the story of Tomorrowland as the sci-fi equivalent to the magic-fuelled Harry Potter series.
This high-concept film, which cost a massive $190 million to produce, follows the tale of a teenage girl (Britt Robertson) bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius (George Clooney) as they embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place lost in time and space, called Tomorrowland (which shares its name with the futuristic themed land found at Disney theme parks).
The movie, which will be titled Disney Tomorrowland: A World Beyond in the United Kingdom, was directed by Brad Bird (known for The Incredibles [2004], Ratatouille [2007] and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol [2011]) and also features Hugh Laurie (a.k.a. Dr. House) and three-time Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw.
The plot sounds compelling, the cast is decent, but Disney will have to battle with the fact that this new-born story doesn't have a huge fanbase like the high grossing book-adaptation movies such as the aforementioned Harry Potter series, the Twilight or the Hunger Games films had.
Reception has been mixed so far by critics and audiences alike, who claim the movie is ambitious and visually stunning, but has problems with its storytelling.
IMDB score currently stands at a decent 7.4, but RottenTomatoes critics have rated it a mediocre 53% only.
The movie debuts in theatres worldwide on the 22 May 2015, and despite the middling reviews, Disney hopes to steal the number one position in all markets for the weekend. Taking into account the studio has spent a lot of money on marketing and there's no real debut competition threat this weekend, Tomorrowland could be a hit at the box offices.
