The last I had heard of Steven Soderbergh, the director of “Sex, Lies & Videotape,” “Traffic,” the ‘Ocean’ films, and more recently, 2011’s “Contagion,” was that he had retired.  I guess success (of a box office nature) changes a person because Soderberg’s last film, “Magic Mike,” was huge (made on a budget of $7 million, it earned over $150 million, which is remarkably profitable).

I don’t know the advertising budget of that film, but when you have a bunch of guys full of muscle stripping, you don’t tend to have to spend all that much, I’d imagine.  It also helps that the film in question starred Channing Tatum, who looks well on his way to becoming an A-list star.

Speaking of “Contagion,” it didn’t do too shabby, earning over $135 million on a $60 million budget (not as spectacular as “Magic Mike” but nothing to sneeze at, either).