For fans, it’s been a difficult several years since “Magic” Mike Lane left the male stripping industry in 2012, but like a phoenix with magnificent pecs, the Channing Tatum character returns in “Magic Mike XXL,” out today. Our time in the desert has come to an end. Mike is making a comeback, and so is the strip-club industry.
The “Magic Mike” universe is based on Tatum’s own time as a stripper, and the best data I could find indicates that it’s a pretty accurate telling of the financial and social realities of the stripping business.
First, a synopsis, for those unfamiliar with the first installment: Tatum plays Mike, a Tampa construction worker who moonlights as a stripper in a club run by a man named Dallas (Matthew McConaughey). He recruits a friend to join the crew of male dancers, assorted hijinks happen, and eventually Mike leaves the industry to pursue his dream of starting a furniture business. But that isn’t the end of this story. In the sequel, the crew is now going on the road to an exotic-dancing convention.
