‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Opens to $233M Worldwide, Led by 76% Female Audience

Key facts

• Worldwide opening: $233 million ($77 million North America, $156.6 million international).
• Women comprised 76% of ticket buyers; 74% said they would definitely recommend.
• Production budget: $100 million, up from $35 million for the original.
• Highest opening for a Meryl Streep film, surpassing Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again ($90 million).
• Biggest global launch for Emily Blunt, topping Oppenheimer ($180.4 million).
• Sequel bumps Michael to second place; Michael earned $54 million in its second weekend.
• North American box office up 14% year-to-date, at $2.8 billion.
• Film releases May 1, 2026, originally Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday slot.

A Record-Breaking Debut for a Female-Led Summer Film

The Devil Wears Prada 2 has stormed the global box office with a $233 million opening weekend, a rare triumph for a female-skewing movie at the start of Hollywood’s summer season. In North America, the sequel earned $77 million, while international markets contributed $156.6 million, pushing Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, to second place with $54 million in its sophomore frame. Women made up 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, surpassing the $90 million worldwide debut of Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again in 2018, and the biggest international and global launch for Emily Blunt, exceeding Oppenheimer’s $180.4 million worldwide opening.

From $35 Million to $100 Million: The Cost of Reuniting a Star-Studded Cast

The sequel’s production budget was $100 million, a significant increase from the original film’s $35 million. Director David Frankel explained to the Associated Press, “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.” The core cast returned: Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, and Stanley Tucci as Nigel Kipling. New additions include Kenneth Branagh as Miranda’s husband, Simone Ashley as her latest assistant Amari, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, and Lady Gaga, who performs an original song “Runway” with Doechii. Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman reprise their roles as Lily and Irv Ravitz.

A Plot That Mirrors the Decline of Print Media

The story follows Miranda Priestly as she navigates the decline of traditional magazine publishing, facing off against Emily Charlton, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars Priestly desperately needs. Andy Sachs returns as a new features editor at Runway, recruited amid a scandal threatening the magazine. Early reviews describe the sequel as “charming” and “delightful,” with critics praising its timely exploration of modern media. Yahoo Entertainment’s chief film critic Brett Arnold called it “surprisingly, quite charming and fun,” while WatchMojo writer Nick Spake noted it is “a surprisingly timely exploration of modern media, how we consume it, and how even icons work harder than ever to remain visible.”

Mixed Critical Reception but Strong Audience Approval

Critics were mixed on the sequel, with some calling it “an acceptable, notable step down from the original.” Freelance reporter Jonathan Sim wrote that “the story lacks the pained, human relatability of the OG. More tedious and far less interesting,” though he added, “It’s AMAZING to see Hathaway, Streep, Blunt, & Tucci back as these characters. They’re fun.” Others were more positive. Critics’ Choice member Grace Randolf said, “The characters though are as delightful as ever!” Next Best Picture’s Dan Bayer noted the film “has the same structure as the first, but the heavy focus on the difficulties of producing print journalism in the 2020s is a welcome surprise.” Audience reaction was strong, with 74% saying they would definitely recommend.

A Summer Season Without Marvel, but With a Fashionable Kickoff

The opening weekend marks the start of Hollywood’s crucial 18-week summer movie season, which often accounts for about 40% of annual box office. Typically, a Marvel blockbuster kicks off the season, but this year The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael provided a strong alternative. The sequel outperformed last year’s summer kickoff Marvel movie, Thunderbolts. 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 running about 14% ahead of 2025, with $2.8 billion in domestic ticket sales to date.

Global Publicity Blitz and Cultural Impact

The cast, including 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 inspiration for Miranda Priestly, appeared with Hathaway on the Oscars stage and with Streep on the cover of Vogue. The original 2006 film earned over $326 million worldwide and became a cultural touchstone with quotable lines like “gird your loins” and “that’s all.” The sequel aims to capture that same energy while updating the story for a media landscape that has dramatically changed.

What Comes Next: The Sequel’s Long-Term Prospects

With a strong opening and positive audience word-of-mouth, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is poised for a successful run. The film’s ability to draw a predominantly female audience in a summer season typically dominated by male-skewing blockbusters signals a shift in market dynamics. As the summer progresses, the sequel will face competition from other releases, but its early performance suggests it could become one of the year’s top-grossing films. The question remains whether it can match the original’s lasting cultural impact, but for now, the numbers speak for themselves.

The bottom line

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to $233 million worldwide, the highest for a Meryl Streep film and Emily Blunt’s biggest global launch.
• Women made up 76% of the audience, a rare demographic lead for a summer blockbuster.
• The sequel’s $100 million budget reflects the cost of reuniting a star-studded cast, up from $35 million for the original.
• The plot tackles the decline of print media, with Miranda Priestly facing off against Emily Charlton over advertising dollars.
• Early critical reception is mixed, but audience approval is high, with 74% saying they would definitely recommend.
• The film’s success marks a strong start to Hollywood’s summer season without a Marvel movie, boosting the overall box office.