Why muscles are the big thing in movies

As fans of the series look forward to the release of Magic Mike XXL this summer, Dean Van Nguyen examines Hollywood’s recent trend of casting bulked-up male actors in its leading roles and asks whether the representation glorifies the Adonis bod.

HOLLYWOOD movies are getting bigger. Not the stunts, not the budgets nor the cinema screens, but the leading men. Where Tinseltown’s most famous male stars were once lean, dapper and classically handsome, now they are buff and hulking.

Jacked-up super men are topping the bill at the box office, regardless of the film’s content, themes or target audience. And filmmakers are shoehorning in as much flesh as they can to drive ticket sales.