Magic Mike XXL

Plot

Three years after abandoning his life as a stripper, Mike is running his own furniture business. He receives a call from Tarzan who informs Mike that Dallas is "gone". Believing that his former boss has died, Mike drives to a hotel only to find that his friends, the remaining Kings of Tampa, are enjoying themselves at a pool party. After revealing that Dallas has bailed on them to start a new show in Macau and only took "The Kid" (referencing Adam from Magic Mike) with him, the Kings let Mike in on their plan: to end their careers on a high note by traveling to Myrtle Beach for a stripping convention. Later, while trying to work, Mike overhears a song he used to strip to and dances. Reinvigorated, Mike decides to join them on their trip.

Driving in a fro-yo van owned by Tito and Tobias, they decide to make their first stop at Mad Mary's. To prove to Richie that he's willing to commit to the trip, Mike participates in an amateur drag queen contest. The others join him soon after. They then head down to a beach where Mike attempts to resolve his issues with Ken through violence. The two later reconcile. Mike also meets a photographer named Zoe who tells him that she's headed for New York. They flirt but mutually agree that they should not have sex.

Back on the road, Mike suggests that they change their routine after the group (excepting Tarzan) take MDMA. They stop at a gas station where he coerces Richie into trying to make the cashier smile with an improvised striptease which he successfully does. This inspires the others to abandon their old routines. Soon afterward, Tobias, under the influence of MDMA, passes out while driving and crashes the van. Everyone is left unscathed aside from Tobias who gets a concussion. In the hospital, the group begins to lose morale, and contemplate packing up and heading home. Mike then reveals that his furniture business isn't going that well and that he's no longer dating Brooke after she rejected his marriage proposal. The group decides to continue on.

In search of a new emcee, Mike brings the group to a Savannah strip club owned by Rome, a woman that Mike has a history with. Despite proving to her that his skills haven't deteriorated, he's unsuccessful in getting her to help them. However, she does give them a ride to their next stop by having Andre, a rapper/singer who works at the club, drive them there.

The group arrives at a mansion. Tito tells them that he knows the girl who lives there and that she's expecting them. They walk in through the door but are greeted by the girl's mother, Nancy, along with Nancy's friends who are all middle-aged women. Nancy's teasing of the group initially makes them feel awkward but as the night goes on, the mood lightens. During this time, Mike meets Zoe again. Zoe confesses that she was hired by another photographer as his assistant solely so he could try to start an affair with her, despite being married. Mike urges her to come to the convention to regain her smile.

After sleeping with Richie, Nancy allows the group to drive her ex-husband's car to Myrtle Beach. When they arrive, they are surprised to see Rome. Rome, after having a change of heart, agrees to be their emcee. She also brings along Andre and Malik to help. With their preparations complete, they head to the convention where they manage to squeeze in a spot thanks to Rome and her seemingly romantic history with the organizer of the event, Paris. The group's performance is a success. During Mike and Malik's performance, Mike brings Zoe on stage. The film ends in celebration, Tobias returning with the fro-yo van and everyone watching the 4th of July fireworks.

Development

In a Twitter Q&A in July 2012, Tatum confirmed work on a sequel. The actor responded: "Yes, yes and yes! We're working on the concept now. We want to flip the script and make it bigger." By March 2014, Magic Mike first assistant director Gregory Jacobs had been chosen to direct the sequel, titled Magic Mike XXL and scheduled to begin shooting by the end of 2014. Steven Soderbergh, the original film's director, acted as editor and cinematographer. The film was released on schedule on July 1, 2015.

Casting

On September 17, it was officially announced by director Jacobs during an interview with Indiewire that Matthew McConaughey would not be returning for the film. Alex Pettyfer, Brandon Richardson and Cody Horn were also confirmed as not returning. On September 18, Jada Pinkett Smith was in talks to join the cast. On September 22, Smith was confirmed to play a role originally written for a male actor. On September 29, as production began in Savannah, Greg Silverman announced the official cast and plot of the film, returning cast includes Tatum, Bomer, Manganiello, Nash, Adam Rodríguez and Gabriel Iglesias, while new cast members include Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell, Smith and Michael Strahan. On October 8, Stephen "tWitch" Boss announced his involvement in the film. Boss said that he was asked by Tatum to join the cast.

Filming

On August 31, 2014, filming took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, including 2nd Avenue Pier, Pier 14, Plyler Park, Myrtle Beach SkyWheel and Myrtle Beach Aviation located in the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. On September 29, filming began on location in Savannah, Georgia, where the shoot took place at the Savannah Gentleman's Club, some photos from the set were also shared by actors. On September 30, the shooting took place on Tybee Island. Filming took place October 23–25 in Savannah, GA, where more than 900 women extras were used, 300–900 each day for Convention scenes. Filming officially wrapped on November 5, 2014 with a final sequence filmed on the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Music

The soundtrack of the film consists of R&B and hip hop songs that the men dance to, including "Pony" by Ginuwine, which was also included in the first film. The album was released on June 30, 2015 in the United States by WaterTower Music. Included in the film and on the album are Matt Bomer's covers of "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" by D'Angelo and "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. The album also contains "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys (which serves as the music for an impromptu public routine by Manganiello).

Box office

Magic Mike XXL grossed $66 million in North America and $56.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $122.5 million, against a budget of $14.8 million.

The film was released alongside Terminator Genisys, and along with holdovers Jurassic World and Inside Out, each was projected to earn $27–30 million over the three-day weekend and $45–55 million during the five-day Independence Day stretch. It made $2.4 million from Tuesday night showings (higher than the $2.1 million earned by its predecessor's preview screenings) and $9.3 million on its opening day (Wednesday) – including Tuesday showings. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.8 million ($27.9 million for the five-day total), coming in below expectations and finishing 4th at the box office behind Inside Out ($29.7 million), Jurassic World ($29.2 million) and Terminator Genisys ($27 million).

Critical response

Magic Mike XXL received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 62%, based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Magic Mike XXL has enough narrative thrust and beefy charm to deliver another helping of well-oiled entertainment, even if this sequel isn't quite as pleasurable as its predecessor." On Metacritic the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In CinemaScore polls, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.