Box Office Forecasts for The Devil Wears Prada 2 Just Skyrocketed
Ready or not, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is strutting toward a much bigger box office debut, with fresh forecasts dramatically outpacing early expectations.
Let me save you some time: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is lining up to be the cinematic equivalent of a runway walk-off, if early numbers are even halfway accurate. The long-awaited sequel finally brings back Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci—basically everyone you actually care about from the first movie. And based on the hype (and some eyebrow-raising box office projections), it looks like we’re all about to get our nostalgia money’s worth, whether we want it or not.
The Classic Cast Reassembles, and Everyone’s Showing Up
Here’s the rundown: Streep (who might as well be the queen of Oscar nominations by this point), Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci will all be back. And that February trailer? It racked up over 14 million views on YouTube. People are ready for more Miranda Priestly-level side eye and designer-label drama.
Disney's 20th Century Studios has dropped a May 1, 2026 US release date—so, yes, you have time to plan your group outfit. Or seethe about the fact that it's taken twenty years to get here.
Box Office Hype: It’s Not 2006 Anymore
Let’s talk numbers, because the predictions are wild:
- Opening weekend estimates: Somewhere between $80 million and $95 million (as of early April 2026)
- Just for context, the first movie opened at $27.5 million in 2006—but went on to earn $126 million in the US, and $326 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. Not exactly chump change.
- Early projections for the sequel guessed $55 million, but that’s now looking laughably low.
So what’s driving these numbers? A couple things. For starters, Meryl Streep hasn’t been in a proper live-action role since 2019 (unless you count cameos and that one animated voice gig). For her fans, that’s about five years of pent-up anticipation. Also, getting the core cast and behind-the-scenes crew back together is basically the sequel lottery.
About That Budget…
Nobody’s saying just how much this sequel actually cost, but the original was considered a “chick flick” and barely scraped together $35 million. As Streep herself told Colbert:
"That designation has kind of not worn well, you know?... We had to scrabble for our budget. This one, honey—they spent the money."
Translation: The sequel probably cost a small fortune, and looking at the cast it’s not hard to see why. On top of the returning stars, we’ve got Lucy Liu, B.J. Novak, Rachel Bloom, and Sydney Sweeney. Even Donatella Versace, Ciara, and Lady Gaga are popping in for cameos. Plus, Justin Theroux and Kenneth Branagh are both playing husbands to Blunt and Streep’s characters, respectively. No, you’re not hallucinating.
What’s This One Actually About?
The plot for The Devil Wears Prada 2 is not based on Lauren Weisberger’s book sequel. Instead, Andy Sachs is back at Runway as a features editor, while Miranda Priestly is struggling with the whole 'media is dying and everything is digital' vibe and trying to keep the magazine afloat. Emily Charlton (Blunt) is now running a luxury brand—another excuse for wardrobe envy and probably some amazing insults.
The target demo here? Women, obviously. Hollywood still treats female-forward blockbusters like they're some sort of specialty product (despite Barbie, Moana, and Bridesmaids making trucks of money). If you’re worried about competition, the only real threat is the Michael Jackson biopic dropping a week earlier, but by May, all eyes will be back in the fashion world.
Final Thoughts: This Sequel Might Actually Earn That Nod
Bottom line: With the original cast and creative brain trust back, the studio finally dropping meaningful cash, and fans legit frothing for more, The Devil Wears Prada 2 looks like it’s primed for a mega-opening. Whether it’ll actually live up to the expectation—or just deliver some meme-worthy lines for another decade—remains to be seen.