Devil Wears Prada 2 opens $233.6M worldwide

Box office stories are usually about superheroes, horror, or family animation. This one is about a fashion sequel built on millennial nostalgia — and it just opened(deadline.com)illion worldwide over the May 1–3 weekend, which put it at No. 1 and gave 2026 one of its biggest starts so far. The bigger surprise is not just that it won — it’s what kind of movie did the winning. (deadline.com) ### Why is this opening such a big deal? Because this was not supposed to be the obvious shape of a meg(thewrap.com)e tracking and posted the second-best global debut of the year among Hollywood releases. That tells theaters and studios there is still a huge audience for polished, star-driven adult commercial movies — if the hook is strong enough. (deadline.com) ### What made the number pop? The overseas haul. North America gave the film $77 million, which is already strong, but international market(deadline.com)od domestic opening into a global statement. Basically, this was not a U.S.-only nostalgia play — it traveled. (deadline.com) ### How does it compare with the first movie? The gap is huge. The original “The Devil Wears Prada” opened to $27.5 million domestically in 2006, so the sequel’s $77 million start is nearly triple that. The first film finished with (deadline.com)hly $535 million global to beat that total on an inflation-adjusted basis. So the sequel has not cleared the original’s full legacy yet — but it is starting from a much stronger place. (movieweb.com) ### Why are people comparing it to “Thunderbolts*”? Because that movie was l(deadline.com)on global start of “Thunderbolts*,” which makes the comparison useful even though the genres are completely different. The point is not that a fashion sequel beat a Marvel movie in some permanent way. The point is that the floor for a summer opener may be higher than people thought a week ago. (thewrap.com) ### Who benefits from this besides Disney? Movie theaters, first of all. One trade estimate puts the full ope(movieweb.com)t matters because exhibitors have spent years waiting for a broader mix of hits — not just capes and cartoons. A breakout like this suggests the audience is still there for eventized adult fare. (thewrap.com) ### Is this also a Meryl Streep story? Yes. One coverage thread tied the opening to the biggest domestic debut of Streep’s career, which gives the result an extra layer b(thewrap.com)David Frankel, and that full-cast return clearly helped sell the sequel as more than a brand extension. It felt like a reunion people actually wanted. (msn.com) ### What’s the catch? Openings are not finishes. A giant first weekend proves demand, but the next question is(thewrap.com)l became a long-tail cultural favorite, not just an opening-weekend machine. To really become a box-office landmark, the sequel now has to show staying power. (thewrap.com) ### Bottom line? The real news is not just that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” opened big. It’s that a female-skewing legacy sequel opened like a summer tentpole and may have reset the industry’s idea of what counts as a mass-audience theatrical event in 2026. (thewrap.com)