Magic Mike Trilogy, Ranked Worst To Best

With their tightly choreographed dance numbers, bonds of brotherhood, and chiseled stars, the Magic Mike movies are a rollicking celebration of the human body in motion. Beginning with Magic Mike in 2012, then with Magic Mike XXL in 2015, and concluding with Magic Mike’s Last Dance in 2023, the story of Mike Lane is the semi-autobiographical account of Channing Tatum’s stripper career in Tampa, Florida when he was 18. Tatum, who stars as “Magic Mike” himself, has famously used his own personal experiences as a struggling male stripper to inform the screenplays, endeavoring to capture the unique world of male stripping.

The seedy encounters, wild nights, and intense bonds of friendship that Tatum experienced offer a rich dramatic playground, and the movies deftly handle the inherent drama (and humor) of these situations with respect and style. Beyond being fluffy escapist films, the fantasy they deliver has inspired the very real Magic Mike Live, a sexy stage show currently touring London’s West End. While the Magic Mike movies make for an entertaining trilogy, some of the entries are better than others.

3

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023)

Directed By Steven Soderbergh

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Magic Mikes Last Dance Poster

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

R

Comedy

Drama

ScreenRant logo

4/10

8/10

Release Date

February 10, 2023

Runtime

110 minutes

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Channing Tatum

    Channing Tatum

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Caitlin Gerard

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

The least engaging of the Magic Mike film franchise is its finale, simply because Magic Mike’s Last Dance drops everything that made the previous movies so good in favor of taking a risk that doesn’t pay off. After giving unhappy socialite Maxandra (Salma Hayek) a life-changing private lap dance, down-on-his-luck Mike leaves Tampa, Florida to travel to London, England, where he’ll help his new benefactor transform the West End with a racy show.

Unfortunately, Mike seems completely out of his element as the plaything for a temperamental heiress, and it’s strange to only see the original Kings of Tampa in a few brief cameos. It’s hard not to shake the strange power imbalance between Maxandra and Mike, who tries to help her feel liberated under the thumb of her wealthy husband even after a lap dance that has her treating him like a lapdog.

Unfortunately, opportunities for a fish-out-of-water story are sidelined in favor of a lackluster romance, and the main attraction, the male strippers, deliver about as effectively as the rest of the movie, which is to say, not at all. Without the authenticity and sense of brotherhood of the first two films, this strange departure is only saved by Tatum’s charm and some spectacular dance sequences at the end.

2

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

As Gregory Jacobs

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Magic Mike XXL Poster

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Magic Mike XXL

R

Comedy

Drama

ScreenRant logo

7/10

7/10

Release Date

July 1, 2015

Runtime

115 minutes

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Jada Pinkett Smith In The 2024 Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala

    Jada Pinkett Smith

  • Headshot Of Donald Glover In The 96th Academy Awards Vanity Fair Party

    Donald Glover

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

In the sequel to the original movie, Mike might think his stripping career is over, but his fellow dancers don’t, and Magic Mike XXL makes everything bigger, glitzier, and more oiled up. Fun sequences like the famous Magic Mike XXL convenience store scene give the film a fun, bombastic energy as the men of Xquisite head to a well-known dancing convention. Based on the real-life stripper conventions that Tatum experienced as a teen, the movie shows the Kings of Tampa putting on a show with dozens of dancers to crowds of thousands of screaming women.

While the movie misses characters like Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) and The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) from Magic Mike, there are still plenty of original characters and a euphoric joy to the dance numbers. It’s not as serious as its predecessor or successor, but it does convey Tatum and co.’s love of entertainment through motion. In addition, there’s something infectiously unapologetic about the movie that celebrates and empowers the male figure and those who enjoy it.

1

Magic Mike (2012)

Directed By Steven Soderbergh

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Magic Mike 1 Movie Poster

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Magic Mike

R

Comedy

Drama

ScreenRant logo

8/10

8/10

Release Date

June 29, 2012

Runtime

110 minutes

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Channing Tatum

    Channing Tatum

  • Headshot Of Alex Pettyfer

    Alex Pettyfer

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

While the first film in a franchise is usually its best (and that’s certainly the case with Magic Mike and its soundtrack), revealing the world of male stripping sets it apart. Mike’s story begins as the marquee stripper for Xquisite, Tampa Bay’s premier male review, where he and the rest of the men take The Kid under their wing. However, while the younger man embraces the lifestyle to excess, Mike becomes disillusioned by it and by the end of the film, elects to leave stripping behind just as the club’s owner, Dallas, promotes The Kid to lead dancer.

Most importantly, its behind-the-scenes format humanizes male strippers and sex workers by letting them tell their stories without treating them solely as commodities or playthings.

The world of male stripping had never been revealed so brazenly until Magic Mike debuted, and the opportunity to see behind the curtain is as gritty as it is gratifying. Magic Mike is notable because while it features great dancing, it’s about the tight-knit stripping community, the creed male strippers live by, and the highs and lows that come with their profession. It honors working-class struggles, men’s artistic endeavors, and desire for the male form. Most importantly, its behind-the-scenes format humanizes male strippers and sex workers by letting them tell their stories without treating them solely as commodities or playthings.

The Future Of The Magic Mike Franchise

Close

As the title hints at Magic Mike’s Last Dance was set up to be the final movie in the story with Channing Tatum saying that he was done with the character following the third movie. However, that could always change as the Magic Mike movies spawned such an unexpected trilogy in the first place. The third movie was not met with a warm critical or audience response which could either encourage Tatum to return to end things on a better note or convince the studio and filmmakers it is time to end things.

There is currently no news on Magic Mike 4, but there have also been many suggestions from fans about possible spinoffs in this surprisingly expansive world. Magic Mike’s Last Dance set up some talented and entertaining dancers that could be followed in a new movie. Of course, Mike’s old crew could get their own story even without their leader making an appearance. Likewise, many fans were hoping Matthew McConaughey’s Dallas would eventually return to the franchise. There is also the possibility of a Mike Lane origin story at some point, but for now, the Magic Mike movies seem done.

Leave a Comment