The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivered a blockbuster opening that highlights female audience power and a reunion of original stars driving an international surge
The new chapter in the Runway saga, The Devil Wears Prada 2, arrived with a commercial punch that surprised many industry watchers. The film opened to a reported $77 million in North America and $156.6 million overseas for a combined global weekend of $233.6 million. Those numbers include a robust preview performance — roughly an opening day haul showing of $32.5 million on Friday, with $10 million coming from Thursday night previews alone. The early returns made it clear that the sequel was not just a nostalgia play but a major market event.
Beyond raw figures, the launch underlines two interlocking forces: the enduring cultural appeal of the original film and the commercial weight of women and teenage viewers at the multiplex. The movie reunited the core cast — Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — with writer Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel returning to the creative helm. According to industry exit polling, the film attracted a particularly strong turnout from ages 25 to 34, a blend of younger Millennials and Gen Z. That cross-generational interest helped lift the opening past many expectations and provided an early signal that legacy titles can still forge cultural momentum when handled with care.
The numeric trajectory of the sequel is striking when placed alongside the original. The first film earned approximately $326.5 million worldwide over its entire life; the sequel’s opening weekend pushed a substantial portion of that benchmark into view much faster than most anticipated. Domestically, the sequel’s opening-day gross also exceeded the entire opening weekend figure of the 2006 film, which was $27.5 million — not adjusted for inflation. Internationally, the movie landed the top opening of 2026 for a Hollywood title at the time of release, reinforcing the global appetite for star-driven, female-centered storytelling. The preview figures and weekend totals collectively demonstrate how legacy IP, when paired with a smart marketing rollout, can convert nostalgia into box office muscle.
Deeper into the data, PosTrak exit polls highlighted younger adult audiences as a core segment, but turnout spanned multiple age groups, which is notable for a sequel two decades after its predecessor. The Thursday preview success signals high fan anticipation and strong word-of-mouth potential across social platforms, where influencers and devoted viewers often shape early narratives. The film’s return of original personnel also contributed to long-lead media attention and a sense of event cinema, factors that in aggregate helped the movie register one of the best opening-day preview numbers for a predominantly female-led title.
Critically and commercially, the reunion of Streep, Hathaway, Blunt and Tucci was framed as more than a casting checklist. The creative team revisited the characters with an eye toward contemporary issues, most notably the changing economics of publishing and the impact of new technologies on journalism. The screenplay layers in commentary about an industry in flux, using Runway as a microcosm for larger debates about media, integrity and adaptation. Interviews given ahead of release emphasized that the sequel sought to be timely rather than merely sentimental, and the box office suggests audiences responded to that mix of glamour and topicality.
The weekend also provided perspective on other high-profile releases. The Michael Jackson biopic, distributed by Lionsgate with international handling by Universal, climbed past $400 million globally, with a domestic tally near $183.8 million and $240.1 million internationally, underscoring the continued potency of music biopics. Meanwhile, MGM’s sleeper sci-fi hit Project Hail Mary surpassed the $600 million mark worldwide, a vindication for studios expanding their international operations. Smaller releases found room on the chart as well: Adam Scott’s horror film Hokum opened in sixth place with about $6.4 million. Together, these outcomes show a marketplace where event pictures, legacy franchises and breakout originals can coexist, each appealing to different audience appetites.
Looking forward, ongoing box office performance will depend on legs, critical reception and social chatter. For The Devil Wears Prada 2, the early signs point to a robust run fueled by reunion interest, topical storytelling and strong female representation in marketing and casting. If the sequel maintains audience affection and positive word-of-mouth, it could eclipse long-standing benchmarks and reignite conversations about how studios approach sequels for beloved properties. In the short term, the opening weekend stands as a reminder that well-timed returns, anchored by strong names and contemporary themes, still translate into major commercial results.