The answer to that may lie with Sorkin’s incendiary comments. As was the case with Bridesmaids, women-centered films make, on average, more money than male-driven movies. In 2014, for example, the film The Other Woman, about three women who find out they are dating the same guy and form a bond amongst each other and a revenge plan against him, opened to an unexpected $24.7 million in weekend sales, taking the number-one spot on the box office to beat out juggernaut Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

Director Steven Soderbergh’s eclectic filmography includes everything from star-studded blockbusters (“Ocean’s Eleven”) to limited-release biopics (“Che”), and he’s more than happy to juggle genres. That makes him the perfect person to helm a film about a male stripper who can’t wean himself from the perks of the job. With “Magic Mike,” Soderbergh delivers a movie with enough star power and flash to satisfy the masses but an emotional center that’s rooted in the style of his independent efforts.