The Devil Wears Prada 2 Has Near Tripled A Box Office Record For The Original Movie

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The sequel to The Devil Wears Prada had a very successful opening weekend, earning a lot of money at the box office and nearly matching the impressive debut of the first film. Its opening weekend numbers in the U.S. were higher than the original movie’s.

In the summer of 2006, director David Frankel brought the iconic Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) to the big screen. The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), an optimistic journalist, as she navigates her job as the assistant to Priestly, the strict and powerful editor-in-chief of Runway magazine. While the movie was popular, it didn’t become a blockbuster.

While The Devil Wears Prada did well in theaters – it was the 14th highest-grossing movie in the U.S. in 2006, according to Box Office Mojo – its biggest success is how it’s stayed popular for two decades. The film has gained a large and diverse fanbase that continues to grow across generations.

The original film’s lasting popularity paved the way for a very successful sequel. 20th Century Studios released The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Friday, May 1st, and it quickly drew large crowds to cinemas. The sequel opened to much bigger numbers domestically than the first film, taking the number one spot at the U.S. box office. It’s still too early to tell if the new film will match the original’s total earnings, but its strong opening weekend is impressive given the current state of the movie industry.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Opening Weekend Beat The Original By Over $49 Million

The sequel to The Devil Wears Prada earned $76.7 million in its first three days in theaters. This is almost $50 million more than the original movie made during its opening weekend, which brought in $27.5 million.

As a movie fan, I always check box office numbers, and at first glance, the sequel seemed like a huge success – almost tripling the original’s earnings! But when you factor in inflation, the difference isn’t quite as massive. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) opened to about $44.8 million in today’s money, which is a really solid number. However, the sequel still managed to pull in nearly double that on its opening weekend. It did help that the 2026 film was shown in more theaters, giving it a bit of an advantage.

Release Date Estimated Theaters Domestic Opening Gross
The Devil Wears Prada June 30, 2006 2,847 $27,537,244
The Devil Wears Prada 2 May 1, 2026 4,150 $76,747,075

Just three days after its release, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has earned $233.3 million globally. That’s already more than the original Devil Wears Prada made in the entire United States ($124.7 million). The sequel is quickly closing in on the worldwide total of the first film and is less than $100 million away from exceeding it.

While The Devil Wears Prada 2 is currently expected to outperform the first movie, it’s not certain if it will. The new film, scheduled for 2026, faces challenges from shorter cinema releases and the growing popularity of streaming services, which could impact how much money it makes in theaters.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Managed To Outperform The Original Despite A Recent Decrease In Move-Going Habits

The success of the 2026 film is even more remarkable when you consider fewer people are going to movie theaters these days compared to 2006. With the popularity of streaming, shorter times movies are shown in theaters, and increasing ticket costs, many viewers are choosing to stay home. In 2006, 1.4 billion movie tickets were sold in the U.S. and Canada, but that number dropped to just 769.2 million in 2025 (according to Pew Research Center). Despite this decline, The Devil Wears Prada 2 actually sold more tickets than the first movie, and there are several reasons why.

People are more willing to spend money on movie tickets, even as prices rise, if they already know and like the series. This means sequels and movies based on existing stories are consistently profitable. In fact, the most successful movies are often continuations of popular franchises. A sequel to The Devil Wears Prada has an advantage because the original film already has a dedicated and enthusiastic following.

A sequel to The Devil Wears Prada brings together four popular actors, hoping to attract audiences to theaters just as star power has done throughout Hollywood history. The film reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci – all of whom have become major stars since the first movie. Their combined fame is expected to draw moviegoers.

20th Century Studios launched a worldwide marketing campaign for The Devil Wears Prada 2, something that wasn’t really possible when the first film came out in 2006. They partnered with big companies like Diet Coke and Google to promote the movie internationally. The original Devil Wears Prada didn’t receive this level of marketing because it wasn’t as well-known yet, and social media wasn’t as widespread.

As a total movie buff, I have to say The Devil Wears Prada 2 didn’t just match the first film – it completely blew past it! It’s become a massive hit, actually breaking all previous records for the whole Devil Wears Prada series. It’s a real triumph!

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2026-05-07 17:16