‘Magic Mike’ Creators Admit To Targeting Gay Men

Gay men across America are reportedly flocking to watch Channing Tatum’s new movie ‘Magic Mike’, which features the Hollywood hunk, as well as British star Alex Pettyfer, striping down in seedy clubs to make a quick buck.

The New York Times report on how a screening of the movie at the Clearview Chelsea Cineplex in Manhattan became a “makeshift gay bar”. Aaron Rhyne, who saw the film with about 10 friends, said, “It’s a fun night out with a bunch of gay friends to go see a movie about hot boys…We’ve been throwing the trailer around, laughing about it”. Gay men have reportedly been flocking to the cinema in numbers not seen since ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in 2005, though unlike that movie, ‘Magic Mike’ has no gay storyline, and none of the characters appear to be homosexual. Released by Warner Brothers at a cost of just $7 million, Steven Soderbergh’s movie finished second in the box office on its opening weekend, taking $39.2 million. The reviews of the film were also positive, with the Times calling it a “funny, enjoyable romp about male strippers and the American dream”.

However, it appears that targeting gay men was all part of the plan for Warner Bros. Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing for the studio, said they coordinated a “well concentrated and tailored” campaign to capture gay moviegoers. It was initially reported that Warner had encouraged groups of women to see the movie together, though that all changed once it became clear there was interest amount gay men. Kroll said, “Every single one of my gay friends was talking about how they couldn’t wait to see it and how gorgeous Matt Bomer is”.