While critics croon over “Kimi” and anticipate his upcoming series “Full Circle,” it’s easy to forget that Steve Soderbergh has another project coming out soon: “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.” But when word got out last month that “Last Dance” wouldn’t go straight to HBO Max but instead hit theaters on Valentine’s Day Weekend 2023, some of us couldn’t help but weep tears of joy. A Soderbergh movie on the big screen that caps off two of his best films from the ’10s? Say no more; sign us up; the tickets are as good as sold.
And now there’s a new first-look image of the upcoming film. Granted, it isn’t much, but it showcases star Channing Tatum doing what the “Magic” Mike Lane character does best: letting someone’s erotic imagination run wild. In this case, Salma Hayek Pinault is the one who’s all hot and bothered, but there’s no context to the scene beyond that. But given these movies, expect this to be one of the more meager dances Mike has in store.
Unfortunately, not a lot of cast members from the earlier “Magic Mike” and “Magic Mike XXL” will be back this time around. Alongside Tatum and Hayek, the film also stars Gavin Spokes, Caitlin Gerard, Christopher Bencomo, Ayub Khan-Din, Juliette Motamed, and Christie-Leigh Emby. Soderbergh directs a script by Reid Carolin, who penned the last two movies.
Together, the two “Magic Mike” films grossed $286 million at the global box office; not bad for films that cost a little less than $22 million in total to make. So, it makes sense new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav wanted to move “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” to the big screen from HBO Max. Does that spell further doom for the streamer? Perhaps, but it also makes “Last Dance” the first Soderbergh movie released in theaters since 2018’s “Unsane,” and that’s good news.
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” hits theaters on February 10, 2023. Check out the first look still from the movie below.
