The Devil Wears Prada 2 earned $233.6 million in its global opening weekend, making it one of the strongest theatrical debuts of 2026 and delivering the highest opening weekend performance of Meryl Streep’s career across domestic, international and worldwide markets.
The sequel, directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna, pulled in $77 million domestically and $156.6 million internationally over the May 1 to 4 weekend, as reported by Variety and Deadline.
Disney’s 20th Century Studios produced the film on a budget of approximately $100 million, not including worldwide marketing. The original 2006 film launched to $27.5 million domestically, putting the sequel’s performance nearly three times ahead in like-for-like opening terms.
A record-breaking weekend for female-driven cinema
Industry analysts have noted that the result is the first time in recent memory that a female-skewing film has led the opening weekend of the summer box office corridor, a stretch historically dominated by superhero and franchise tentpoles.
The film ranked fourth overall among 2026’s biggest openers, behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million), Project Hail Mary ($80 million) and Michael ($97.5 million).
It also delivered the second-highest international opening of the year for a film rated by the MPA.
The sequel reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci in their original roles, with Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, B.J. Novak and Simone Ashley joining as new additions.
Lady Gaga makes a special appearance as a fictionalised version of herself. Critics have received the film reasonably well, with a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic rating of 63 out of 100.
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is already in South African cinemas
South African audiences have had access to the film since 30 April 2026, when it opened in local cinemas one day ahead of its international wide release. The early access window was consistent with the South African release pattern Disney has used for several of its major theatrical releases this year.
The result makes a clear statement about audience appetite for franchise sequels that skew toward adult women, a segment studios have historically underserved at the theatrical level.
Whether the film sustains its numbers through the following weeks against a crowded summer schedule will be the real test of whether the franchise has genuine long-term box office power.
