Devil Wears Prada 2 opens to about $50M global debut

Box office is the story here, but the bigger thing is what kind of movie is doing the business. *The Devil Wears Prada 2* — a fashion-world sequel built on a 2006 comedy-drama — hit theaters on May 1 and immediately posted numbers that look more like franchise action fare than a nostalgia play. Disney says the film pulled in $10 million from Thursday previews in the U.S. and had already reached $50.5 million worldwide by Friday. The weekend is now tracking toward roughly $75 million to $80 million domestic, with some forecasters floating even higher upside. (deadline.com) ### Why are these numbers getting attention? Because this is not the usual summer opener. The movie comes from 20th Century Studios, runs 1 hour 59 minutes, and brings back Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci nearly 20 years after the original became a long-t(deadline.com)y itself. Opening this hard makes it look less like a cute reunion and more like a real event movie. (20thcenturystudios.com) ### What actually opened on May 1? The theatrical release did. 20th Century lists May 1, 2026 as the U.S. release date, and the film’s marketing has leaned hard on the original cast reunion plus the return of director David Frankel. That matters because this sequel is selling familiarit(20thcenturystudios.com)nsemble are the product. (20thcenturystudios.com) ### How strong is $10 million in previews? Pretty strong for this kind of movie. Preview grosses are not the final verdict, but they tell you whether demand is broad or niche. A $10 million Thursday suggests people were waiting for opening night, not just drifting in over the weekend. W(20thcenturystudios.com)lear — this opened with real momentum, not just good social chatter. (deadline.com) ### Why does the $75 million to $80 million forecast matter? Because it would put the sequel far above what many people expect from an adult-skewing comedy-drama follow-up. Variety’s tracking put the North American opening in the $75 million to $80 million range from about 4,100 the(deadline.com)iday including previews. Some analysts think the ceiling could go higher if walk-up business keeps building. (variety.com) ### Is this just nostalgia? Nostalgia is the hook, but not the whole answer. The original film never really left pop culture — it stayed alive through memes, fashion discourse, streaming, and the durability of Miranda Priestly as a character. The seque(variety.com)when luxury branding, celebrity style, and millennial-IP revivals all reinforce each other. (financialexpress.com) ### What does this mean for Disney and theaters? It means a useful reminder that not every big opener has to be superheroes, horror, or animation. If this weekend holds, Disney gets a strong early-s(financialexpress.com)-action sequel can still feel urgent when the brand is specific enough and the cast is intact. (deadline.com) ### What should people watch next? The next check is whether Friday’s heat turns into a full weekend breakout or settles into the current tracking band. The overseas pace matters too, because the global opening forecast being discussed is closer to $180 million. If that holds, this goes from “surprisingly strong” to one of the clearest box-office stories of the year. (msn.com) The bottom line is simple — *The Devil Wears Prada 2* did not open like a modest reunion sequel. It opened like a mainstream hit, and that changes how Hollywood will read both fashion-driven IP and female-led theatrical releases this summer.