The Devil Wears Prada 2 Opens to $233 Million, 76% Female Audience

The sequel to the 2006 cult classic launched the summer box‑office season, outpacing the Marvel‑driven openings that have dominated recent years. Its global debut of $233 million (£171 million, A$323 million) eclipses the $90 million worldwide start of Meryl Streep’s previous record, *Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again* (2018).

Key figures show $77 million earned in North America and $156.6 million abroad. The film’s audience skewed heavily female; PostTrak exit polls recorded women accounting for about 76% of ticket sales and 74% of those saying they would definitely recommend the movie. Critical response was mixed, but the star‑studded cast—Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci—leveraged a high‑profile fashion‑focused publicity tour across Tokyo, London and New York.

The opening marks the highest debut for any Meryl Streep picture by every metric, surpassing the $90 million benchmark set by *Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again*. It also registers the strongest international launch for Emily Blunt, overtaking the $180.4 million opening of *Oppenheimer*. Production costs rose to an estimated $100 million, a significant increase from the original’s $35 million budget, yet the opening suggests a solid return on investment.

Industry analysts note the rarity of a female‑skewing film leading the first weekend of the U.S. summer box‑office, a slot traditionally held by Marvel franchises. The performance helped lift the North American market 14% above the previous year, contributing to a $2.8 billion domestic total so far in 2026.

What it means: The strong female turnout signals growing market power for women‑focused narratives, and studios may prioritize similar projects for summer launches. Watch the weekend’s second‑day figures to see if the momentum holds against upcoming blockbusters.