The Devil Wears Prada 2 Must Hit This Box Office Number To Turn A Profit

Well, here’s a bit of a curveball for your summer movie calendar: instead of Marvel’s usual May takeover, this year’s first blockbuster out of the gate is The Devil Wears Prada 2. Yes, you read that right—nearly two decades after the original made 'cerulean' a household color, the full original quartet is back: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Just in time for the 20th anniversary, no less. (Break out the lattes and fear for your cerulean sweaters, folks.)

What’s Actually Happening in the Sequel?

Plot-wise, they’re picking up with Miranda Priestly (Streep) dealing with the joys of modern digital media—think TikTok instead of Runway's old glossy pages—and, for maximum awkwardness, she’s forced to tangle again with both Andy (Hathaway) and Emily (Blunt). Stanley Tucci returns as the eternally exhausted Nigel, because apparently he can never escape Miranda’s orbit. In pure 2024 fashion, the movie is basically one giant cross-branding bonanza. Diet Coke, Starbucks, L'Oréal Paris—take your pick. Oh, and Lady Gaga and Doechii have a new song, 'Runaway', dropped just for this.

Social media is already losing it, and if you haven’t seen about twelve 'That’s all' memes in your feed today, you need to follow more gays and theater kids.

The Box Office Game Plan

Let’s get nerdy for a second and talk numbers, because 'hit' means a very different thing in 2024 than in 2006.

• The Original: In 2006, The Devil Wears Prada launched to $27.5 million—enough for second place behind Superman Returns. By the end of its run, the movie had made $124 million in the US and $326 million worldwide. (And that’s on a $35 million budget, meaning Fox was basically printing money.)
• The Sequel: Early projections for Prada 2 are bonkers: opening weekend could land anywhere from $66 to $100 million. That’s at least double, possibly triple, the original’s start. Provided reviews don’t tank and nostalgia kicks in, this sequel could beat the first film’s entire domestic gross in just one week.

So, it’s pretty much a lock that Prada 2 will outdo the original’s US totals. Worldwide? Odds are good—but let’s talk profit and expectations.

How Big Is the Tab This Time?

Studio heads aren’t exactly plastering the sequel’s budget on billboards, but let’s just say it’s a whole lot pricier than last time. Remember, back in 2006 Meryl was the only big Oscar winner in the mix. Now Hathaway’s joined the winners’ club, Tucci and Blunt rack up nominations, and all four are worth way more. In other words, foxes have to cough up a lot more for their A-list.

Meryl Streep couldn’t resist needling this in an interview with Stephen Colbert: 'This one, honey, they spent the money!'—which is a very Miranda Priestly way to describe a rumored $100–$150 million budget. For context, that’s at least four times the original’s cost.

So, What Will It Take to Be a 'Hit'?

If the budget really is up at $150 million, simple math says they need to hit at least $200–300 million just to break even when you don’t include marketing (which, spoiler, probably costs tens of millions on its own). Since the OG Prada cleared $326 million worldwide, the sequel will be trying to match or exceed that number just to keep studio accountants happy.

But here’s the kicker: unless The Devil Wears Prada 2 absolutely demolishes the original worldwide (we’re talking $500–700 million), the 'profit margin' still looks better for the original. Hollywood math. Still, if Prada 2 can rake in $300 million-plus globally, Disney and 20th Century Studios will sleep easy, and we’ll probably see more lattes and snark in our future.

Quick Recap: The Returning Cast

Just to remind you who’s back for round two:

• Meryl Streep: Miranda Priestly (Boss Level: remains terrifying)
• Anne Hathaway: Andy Sachs (now with post-Oscar gravitas)
• Emily Blunt: Emily Charlton (not giving up the British accent any time soon)
• Stanley Tucci: Nigel Kipling (scene-stealer and eternal mood)

Whether nostalgia or meme-power wins the day, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is about to find out if fashionable vengeance is still in style at the box office.