The Devil Wears Prada is already parading down the box office runway in fine style, nearly two decades after the first film turned into a sleeper box office hit on its way to earning $326.5 million globally and becoming a cultural touchstone.
The sequel grossed $10 million in Thursday previews, one of the best showings ever for female-fueled fare, and not far behind current box office hits Michael and Project Hail Mary.
In August 2023, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s It Ends With Us, another female-led hit, earned $7 million in previews on its way to grossing north of $350 million worldwide; its weekend opening came in at $50 million.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 holds the formidable distinction of becoming the first female-driven movie in modern history to kick off the summer box office, a duty that has almost always gone to a Marvel superhero pic or a Fast & Furious title.
Prada 2 is attracting moviegoers across all age groups who are eager to see original cast members Meryl Streep, who plays a legendary, searing fashion magazine editor, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reunite. Another boon for the project: David Frankel returned to direct alongside writer Aline Brosh McKenna.
Overseas, Prada 2 has already earned a sensational $40.5 million in it first two days from its first 42 markets (including sneak previews). And the film posted the highest opening day of the year to date in in Brazil, Italy, Korea and Australia as well as Belgium, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Greece, Ukraine, New Zealand, Taiwan and the Philippines.
“If you go into The Devil Wears Prada 2 looking for fierce fashion porn, bitchy put-downs and a fresh dose of Meryl Streep’s iconic performance as imperious Anna Wintour clone Miranda Priestly, you are unlikely to be disappointed,” reads THR chief film critic David Rooney’s review.
