‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Opens to $233 Million Worldwide, Topping Box Office

Key facts

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 earned $77 million in the U.S. and Canada and $156.6 million internationally, for a global total of $233 million.
• Women made up 76% of ticket buyers, with 74% saying they would definitely recommend the film.
• The film cost $100 million to produce, up from the original’s $35 million budget.
• It is the highest opening weekend for a Meryl Streep film, surpassing Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again’s $90 million global debut.
• The sequel opened in 4,150 North American locations and knocked Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ to second place.
• Streaming viewership for the original film surged 428% from March to April 2026 ahead of the sequel’s release.
• The North American box office is running 14% ahead of 2025, with about $2.8 billion in ticket sales to date.

A Sequel Two Decades in the Making

Twenty years after the original film became a cultural touchstone, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has stormed into theaters with a $233 million global opening weekend. The sequel, released by 20th Century Studios, earned $77 million in the United States and Canada and $156.6 million internationally, according to studio estimates. The debut easily topped the box office, bumping the Michael Jackson biopic Michael to second place, though that film held well with a $54 million second weekend, dropping only 44%. The film’s success marks a rare instance of a female-skewing movie leading the North American summer box office, a period typically dominated by Marvel blockbusters. Women accounted for 76% of ticket buyers, and 74% said they would definitely recommend the film. The opening weekend is the highest ever for a Meryl Streep film by every metric, surpassing the $90 million global debut of Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again in 2018. It also set new international and global launch records for Emily Blunt, topping Oppenheimer’s $180.4 million worldwide opening.

The Core Four Return, With Conditions for a Third Film

The sequel reunites the original film’s central quartet: Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, and Stanley Tucci as Nigel. The story picks up in a depleted media landscape, with Andy working once more at the fictional Runway magazine under Miranda, while clashing with her former assistant-turned-rival Emily over limited advertising dollars. Newcomers to the franchise include Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, and Bridgerton star Simone Ashley. In interviews promoting the film, the cast has expressed openness to a third installment, but only under specific conditions. Streep said the most important factor is the script. Blunt told People magazine, “A good script. It's all about the script.” Hathaway added, “And then, everybody has to say yes,” and Blunt clarified that it must be “the core four,” including Tucci. Streep quipped, “They have to be alive.” Tucci joked that the cast could not wait another two decades, saying, “I don’t think we can do it in another 20 years. We have to do it sooner than that, because I’ll be dead.”

A $100 Million Production and a Global Publicity Blitz

The sequel’s production budget was reported at $100 million, a significant increase from the original film’s $35 million. Director David Frankel noted to the Associated Press that despite the higher star salaries, the effective budget for making the movie remained similar to the first. “By the time you finish paying all the biggest movie stars in the world, you still end up with basically the same budget for making the movie as we did the first one,” he said. Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci embarked on a fashion-forward global publicity tour, with stops in Tokyo, London, and New York. Even Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief widely believed to have inspired Miranda Priestly, participated this time, appearing with Hathaway on the Oscars stage and with Streep on the cover of Vogue. The promotional blitz helped drive anticipation: streaming viewership for the original film surged 428% from March to April 2026.

Critical Reception Mixed, But Audience Enthusiasm High

Critics have offered a mixed response to the sequel. The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave it four stars, writing, “Welcome to the resistance, Miranda Priestly. Not even the die-hard loyalists of 2006’s fashion satire The Devil Wears Prada expected much from its return to the big screen.” Despite the divided critical opinion, audience reaction has been strongly positive, with 74% of ticket buyers saying they would definitely recommend the film. The original The Devil Wears Prada, released in June 2006, earned over $326 million worldwide and cemented itself in pop culture through quotable lines like “gird your loins” and “that’s all.” The sequel’s opening weekend already represents about 71% of the original’s entire global gross, though inflation-adjusted comparisons would be more favorable to the first film.

Summer Box Office Kicks Off Without Marvel

The weekend marks the start of Hollywood’s summer movie season, an 18-week period running through Labor Day that typically accounts for about 40% of the annual box office. While Marvel blockbusters often serve as the season’s kickoff, the combined power of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael provided a strong alternative. Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, said, “This is a really solid weekend. It’s this irresistible combination that more than makes up for the fact that there’s not a Marvel movie to kick off the summer movie season.” The North American box office is currently running about 14% ahead of 2025, with approximately $2.8 billion in domestic ticket sales to date. The Devil Wears Prada 2 outperformed last year’s summer kickoff Marvel movie, Thunderbolts, underscoring the potential for female-driven films to lead the season.

What Comes Next: A Third Film Hinges on Performance

Hathaway suggested that the sequel’s performance could determine whether a third film materializes. “I feel like there’s more road to explore. But, we’ll probably have a better idea of that [when the film comes out],” she told Entertainment Weekly. Streep revealed that conversations about a sequel began as early as 2009, but “we all waited until we had that good idea.” The first film opened with $27.5 million domestically and went on to gross over $326 million worldwide. With a $233 million global opening, the sequel is well positioned to surpass that total, though much depends on its staying power in the coming weeks. The cast’s willingness to return for a third film, contingent on a strong script and the availability of the core four, suggests that the franchise’s future is far from decided.

The bottom line

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 earned $233 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the highest debut for a Meryl Streep film.
• Women made up 76% of the audience, a rare demographic lead for a summer blockbuster.
• The sequel cost $100 million to produce, nearly triple the original’s budget, largely due to star salaries.
• The cast has expressed interest in a third film, but only with a good script and the return of all four main actors.
• The film’s success helped kick off the summer box office season without a Marvel movie, with the North American box office up 14% year-over-year.
• Streaming viewership of the original film surged 428% in the month before the sequel’s release, indicating high anticipation.