The Devil Wears Prada 2 Struts to $32.5 Million Opening Day

The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to $32.5 million Friday across 4,150 North American theaters, a start that put the sequel on pace for about $80 million through the domestic weekend. The film also logged more than $10 million in Thursday previews and crossed more than $50 million worldwide early in its launch, giving a 20-year-old fashion brand the kind of first-day momentum usually reserved for superhero tentpoles and the biggest pieces of studio IP.

20th Century Studios has framed the sequel as a reunion nearly two decades after the original, bringing Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt back into the world of Runway Magazine in New York City. David Frankel returned to direct, and the studio lists the film at 1 hour 59 minutes with a PG-13 rating. The Hollywood Reporter described it as the first female-led property to kick off the summer box office, a notable placement in a market that often treats tentpole season as a contest among franchises built around spectacle rather than character-driven glamour.

The economics explain why the opening matters. Deadline reported that the sequel cost roughly $100 million before worldwide marketing, compared with about $40 million for the 2006 original. That is a materially heavier bet, which means the movie will need to keep drawing beyond the first frame. For now, the opening-day number suggests there is still room in theaters for a legacy franchise with strong female appeal when the cast, timing and brand recognition all line up.

The film’s rollout also reinforces that it was built as an event. Production used the working title Cerulean and filmed in New York, New Jersey and Italy, with principal photography beginning in late June 2025 and wrapping in October 2025. NBC New York reported that Streep, Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and other cast members were spotted filming in Manhattan, underlining how closely the sequel leaned on the visual and geographic identity of the original. The New York setting, the runway world and the long gap between installments have turned this into more than a routine sequel. It is a test of whether adult-skewing nostalgia, star power and a recognizable female-led franchise can still command theatrical attention in a market dominated by louder IP.