Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Magic Mike XXL” goes back to the grind earlier than you expect as the Channing Tatum-starrer, will hold special sneak previews in selected theatres everywhere on Monday and Tuesday, July 6 & 7.
The film will be shown in its U.S. and original, uncut version which was rated R-16 by the Movie and Television Review & Classification Board.
Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them.
As happy as the characters were to get the show on the road, so were the actors who portray them. “There was never a dull moment,” states Joe Manganiello, reprising his role as Big Dick Richie (BDR), alongside Matt Bomer as the picture-perfect Ken, Adam Rodriguez as Latin sensation Tito and Kevin Nash as wild-man Tarzan. “When we were cast in the first movie, none of us had a clue we would have this kind of chemistry, but it didn’t take long. There was some kind of providence in assembling this group. It just works.”
Consequently, while showcasing the tight group dynamic, “Magic Mike XXL” also plays up their individual personalities and talents to a greater extent. The cast also got the opportunity to demonstrate their comic timing, as the story takes them from a rowdy reunion in Tampa to some hilariously bumpy but rewarding detours through Savannah on their way to the big event.
Says Jacobs, “It’s Mike’s journey but it’s also a journey for all of them. We spent a lot of time fine-tuning and weaving each one into the story because it was important to all of us that the other characters were well developed and that everybody had his moment to break out and shine.”
“Everyone took the letters XXL to heart,” says Bomer, who additionally makes his big-screen singing debut in the film. “We put everything into our performances because so much of what this movie is about is the culmination of this one last ride these guys want to share. They want to go out with a bang so that, whatever happens after this, they can say, ‘We closed that chapter on a high note.’”
Opening wide across the Philippines on July 15, “Magic Mike XXL” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.