Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return as Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs in Disney and 20th Century Studios’ “Devil Wears Prada 2.”
Disney | 20th century studios
Disney proved that you don’t need superheroes, explosion-filled sequences or green-skinned aliens for a sequel to do well at the box office.
Over the weekend, the studio released “Devil Wears Prada 2” under its 20th Century Studios banner for spectacular results. The 2006 sequel “The Devil Wears Prada” took in an estimated $77 million domestically in its opening weekend, the third-biggest of the year. That’s nearly three times the $27.5 million the first film produced in its opening weekend two decades ago, according to data from Comscore.
Internationally, “Devil Wears Prada 2” grossed more than $150 million, bringing its total to nearly $233 million worldwide in its first three days in theaters. That figure is 72% of what the original “Devil Wears Prada” produced during its entire theatrical run.
“Some things never go out of style,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketing at Comscore told CNBC. “It’s hard to predict whether audiences will embrace or reject a sequel to a beloved original, but the creative, marketing and distribution teams of Disney’s 20th Century Studios have put together a hit film that has captivated not only the United States but the world.”
Disney’s return to the source material for a sequel to “The Devil Wears Prada” comes at a time when Hollywood has become increasingly reliant on tried-and-true intellectual property. In fact, the 2026 calendar is full of titles linked to major franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, Toy Story, Super Mario Bros., Hunger Games, Scream, Scary Movie, Minions, Dune and Jumanji.
There’s also a sequel to 1998’s “Practical Magic” coming in the fall.
Although “Devil Wears Prada 2” is not the usual sequel movie that usually starts the summer movie season, it shows the enthusiasm of the audience for the nostalgic IP.
“Usually the movies that start this weekend are what I call ‘cape’ movies,” Wendy Finerman, Academy Award winner and producer of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Monday.
The characters in the film wear a different kind of cape, he noted, adding that it’s a story “where you take off the cape and you’re very powerful.”
The film attracted a large attendance of female viewers, who represented 76% of the tickets sold. It also released an old collection for movie lovers. Although the majority of tickets, about 28%, were sold to those aged 25 to 34 years old, the top demographic was the over 55 cinema, accounting for 22% of tickets sold.
“There was a group of people from Boston, friends of mine, 30 women who went together,” Finerman said. “… Families go, sisters go. The other thing is, and it’s not just all over the world, people dress up. It’s become a party. They wear red shoes, put on makeup, they look like different characters, they say certain lines.”
“So it’s an event that goes against just going to the movies,” he said.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Disney has released “Devil Wears Prada 2” under its 20th Century Studios banner. The previous version misspelled the name of the studio.
