Magic Mike XXL is off to a fast start at the box office. As we reported earlier, the sequel out-earned Terminator: Genisys on their shared opening day. And box office analysts are predicting a healthy holiday-weekend haul for Channing Tatum and the boys. So you can forgive us if we’re already looking ahead to a third adventure with Mike and his band of road-tripping strippers.
So is Collider, it seems, as they sat down with Magic Mike XXL co-star Joe Manganiello and inquired about the possibility of a third Magic Mike movie. Specifically, they wanted to know if a 3D version of Magic Mike was possible, to which Manganiello replied:
If I was a gambling man, I would say odds are that we are going 3D."
It makes too much sense not to try it. Major motion pictures – especially those released in the summertime – invest in the extra 3D boost so they can charge more at the box office. Some movies make the most of the technology. Others mail it in. We even have a regular column that analyzes the use of 3D in movie releases. In that column, we have a "Fit" section, where we talk about if the premise of the movie lends itself to the use of 3D. I think a Magic Mike movie would earn a perfect score in that category.
On top of that, I just think that Magic Mike XXL opens itself up to more stories with these characters. As I said in my review of Gregory Jacobs’ entertaining sequel, the chemistry between the men in the cast is bankable, and I was just happy to spend more time in their company in this loose, freewheeling story. They have interesting personal issues, to which several in the audience can relate. They can be picked up and dropped in almost any location, and an interesting story would (or should) organically form around them. In fact, Collider talks about the possibility of bringing Magic Mike (Channing Tatum) and his fellow dancers on a European jaunt, and while that’s a familiar conceit, I could see it working in the hands of Tatum and his crew.
This weekend sees Mike and his fellow dancers hitting the road from Tampa to Myrtle Beach to attend an annual male strippers convention. Expected hijinks ensue as they pit stop in such regional hotspots as Savannah. But it’s a ride worth taking, and a ride that I hope the guys continue in a 3D Magic Mike 3 somewhere down the line.
