5 Reasons Why The Devil Wears Prada 2 Ruled The Box Office

May represents the beginning of the summer movie season, and it got started with a big ol' bang in 2026. "The Devil Wears Prada 2," a dramedy sequel 20 years in the making, did bigger-than-expected numbers on its opening weekend at the box office. Disney officially has a huge hit on its hands, one that is going to outshine its predecessor in a matter of days.

Directed by David Frankel, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" opened to $77 million domestically this past weekend, while doing a gangbusters $156.6 million internationally for a $233.6 million global start. Even though "Michael" continued to rule the box office with a stellar $54 million second weekend, that stiff competition didn't get in the way of Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep motivating a lot of people to see their brand of high fashion on the big screen.

It certainly helped that the only competition came from a couple of smaller-budget horror offerings led by NEON's "Hokum" ($6.4 million) and "Deep Water" ($2.1 million), the new shark movie from director Renny Harlin. By and large, Disney's flashy, fashionable sequel had the opportunity to lead the way unabated. It went better than just about anyone expected.

So, what went right here? How did this one manage to do blockbuster business and become a wildly successful legacy sequel? We're going to look at the biggest reasons why "The Devil Wears Prada 2" ruled the box office in its debut. Let's get into it.

Critics aren't quite raving about "The Devil Wears Prada 2", but by and large, the majority of viewers seem happy enough with the sequel. It delivered on expectations well enough to get a thumbs up from moviegoers, which was all this movie really needed to do in order to deliver at the box office. It was one of those "just don't f*** it up" situations. They did not f*** it up and, as a result, we have a hit.

As of this writing, the sequel holds a 77% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to go with an even better 87% audience rating. Perhaps more importantly, it earned a solid A- CinemaScore, which should do the movie favors when it comes to legs in the coming weeks. David Frankel, the returning cast, and all involved delivered what is by all appearances a crowd-pleaser.

In BJ Colangelo's review of "The Devil Wears Prada 2" for /Film she praised it as "a chic, charming sequel," while noting that it's "nothing groundbreaking." But not everything needs to be groundbreaking to satisfy the intended audience. Sometimes, it can just be about seeing the characters they like again in a setting that reminds them of the thing they already love. That's kind of the legacy sequel playbook, and this movie executed it well, based on the early numbers.

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is already a bona fide box office hit. For context, the original movie made $326 million worldwide on a $40 million budget back in 2006. While the sequel carries a huge $100 million price tag (largely due to cast salaries), it's going to out-gross the original in a matter of days. It may seem obvious to say, but this is only possible because Disney didn't make this as a direct-to-streaming release, which very well could have been the case.

Let's not forget, it wasn't that long ago when movies like "Moana 2" and the live-action "Lilo & Stitch" were shifted from a planned Disney+ release to theaters. "Moana 2" should truly represent the death of the direct-to-streaming blockbuster, as it went on to make more than $1 billion at the box office. Last year's live-action remake of "Lilo & Stitch" was also a $1 billion hit for Disney. The Mouse House has undoubtedly learned its lesson.

"Prey" went directly to Hulu, and "Alien: Romulus" nearly did as well. Mercifully, it seems like those days are behind us, but even a year and a half ago it would have been very easy to imagine Disney making "The Devil Wears Prada 2" for streaming to bolster its subscriber base. Wisely, they understand that there is more money to be made with these movies in theaters –  movies that will also bring a lot of streaming value later on. It's a win-win.

There is a lot of conversation about the "death of the movie star" over the last decade or so. The rise of superhero cinema and the influx of streaming has made it harder for new movie stars to break out. Largely gone are the days where people will show up merely because a certain star is leading a cast. Tom Cruise and Timothee Chalamet are rare exceptions. What can move the needle, though, is a killer ensemble filled with multiple, meaningful stars. That's precisely what this movie has going for it.

It helps enormously that the core four — Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci — all returned to reprise their roles. It also helps that, in the years since the original arrived, Hathaway and Blunt's star power has only grown. Both of them have also earned Oscars recognition alongside Streep, adding even more prestige to their stardom. These are actors whom audiences like a lot. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" also features a massive pop star cameo, which certainly doesn't hurt.

The movie could have had even more star power had Sydney Sweeney's cameo not been removed, but it clearly wasn't needed. This particular collection of stars proved to be very appealing, which is also a big reason why the original movie has stuck around in the cultural consciousness for as long as it has. The stars aligned, as it were. 

When we think of legacy sequels, we often think of entries in major franchises, such as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" or "Jurassic World." We don't often think of movies like "The Devil Wears Prada" as fuel for the legacy sequel treatment. However, in light of the sequel's ridiculously huge global opening, it's very clear that the original movie has become a generational classic. That can't be expressed enough when it comes to playing Monday morning quarterback here.

This wasn't an example of Hollywood trying to pull the old "IP for the sake of IP" thing, which has resulted in some colossal misfires. That's just one of the reasons why "The Running Man" flopped at the box office last year. In this case, Disney recognized that there was a genuine appetite for another tale in the world of high fashion centered on Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs and Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly.

The arrival of the sequel even gave a lot of people an excuse to watch "The Devil Wears Prada" for the first time, perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps so they didn't feel left out of the conversation as this sequel started to feel like a big deal. Whatever the case, it's undeniable that the original has earned its place as a 2000s classic and is way more than just a movie that played on cable a lot over the last two decades.

It's absolutely no secret that comedies have been having a really tough time at the box office in the pandemic era. Maybe that's because most blockbusters have added comedy in addition to whatever else they're selling. (Think Marvel movies like "Thor: Ragnarok" or Greta Gerwig's "Barbie.") Either way, it's been tough sledding for comedy as a theatrical concern, with many of these movies going directly-to-streaming or dying at the box office.

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is a dramedy, but much like the first movie it's very comedy-forward. It's filling a hole. For certain viewers, there's absolutely an itch that they want scratched in the comedy realm, and this movie appears to be scratching that itch. Straight-up comedies like "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" may flop at the box office, but the "comedy and something else" formula still seems to work pretty well.

Case in point, most of the successful comedies in recent years have been rom-coms, such as "Anyone But You" or "The Lost City." This isn't exactly a rom-com but it has the same "this isn't just comedy" thing going for it. Going to the movies is far more rare for the average person than it once was, so a comedy for the sake of comedy often can't rise to the level of a theatrical event. A comedy with a side of drama with lots of glitz and glamour featuring beautiful movie stars doing their thing? That's a recipe for success.

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is in theaters now.