"The Devil Wears Prada 2" opened with $32.5 million on Friday across 4,150 theaters, a commanding performance that signals audiences still want a seat at this particular table. The sequel is tracking toward $75 million to $80 million for its full opening weekend, which would mark a decisive victory for 20th Century Studios and confirm that nostalgia for early-2000s fashion cinema carries real box office weight.
The first film, released in 2006, became a cultural touchstone. Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly entered the lexicon. The movie spawned countless references, costumes, and a devoted fanbase that's waited nearly two decades for a return to Runway magazine. That appetite appears intact.
The timing works in the sequel's favor. Fashion is cyclical, but "The Devil Wears Prada" never really left the cultural conversation. The film streams constantly, gets quoted daily on social media, and functions as comfort viewing for millions. A new generation discovered it on their own. The original audience aged into disposable income and nostalgia spending habits.
Whether the film itself justifies the wait matters less this weekend than the fact that people showed up. Box office trends have been unpredictable lately, making this kind of opening reassuring for studios betting on legacy IP and star power. Streep, presumably, got what she wanted.