Devil Wears Prada 2 Dominates with $77M Opening
The sequel earned $233.6 million globally in its opening weekend, with women making up 74% of the audience—a demographic analysts say Hollywood has largely failed to serve.
May 3rd 2026 · United States
The Devil Wears Prada 2 dominated the box office in its opening weekend, earning an estimated $77 million in the United States and Canada while pulling in $233.6 million worldwide, according to studio estimates. The 20-year sequel to the 2006 cult classic easily claimed the top spot, displacing the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, which settled for second place with $54 million in its second weekend. The film brought back stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci for a story set in a much-depleted media landscape, with a production budget of approximately $100 million. Women comprised roughly three-quarters of the audience for the sequel, with exit polls showing 74% of ticket buyers saying they would definitely recommend the film to friends. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, though it holds a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The original film, which cost just $35 million to produce, went on to earn over $326 million worldwide and became ingrained in popular culture with quotable lines like "gird your loins," "groundbreaking" and "that's all" becoming millennial catchphrases. Streaming viewership for the original increased 428% between March and April 2026 as anticipation built for the sequel. The strong opening underscores the spending power of female moviegoers, a demographic that industry analysts say Hollywood has largely failed to serve with big films in recent years. The sequel's performance marks a solid start to Hollywood's summer movie season, which runs through Labor Day and typically accounts for about 40% of the annual box office. Analysts noted that the combined strength of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael more than compensated for the absence of a Marvel blockbuster to kick off the season. Other new releases this weekend, including the horror film Hokum, Andy Serkis's animated Animal Farm adaptation and the survival movie Deep Water, failed to make significant impacts, while The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continued its run in third place with $12.1 million.