"The Devil Wears Prada 2" dominated Friday's box office with $32.5 million across 4,150 theaters, signaling massive audience appetite for the fashion sequel. The film is tracking toward a $75-80 million opening weekend, which would obliterate most competition and validate 20th Century Studios' gamble on resurrecting the beloved 2006 original.
Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt's return to the glossy world of haute couture clearly resonates with audiences. The nostalgia factor alone carries serious weight. Gen X and millennial viewers grew up quoting Miranda Priestly's cutting one-liners, and they're bringing their own kids to theaters now.
The sequel arrives at a moment when legacy franchises remain box office gold. Studios greenlit this project partly because the original built a devoted fanbase that never really left. Strong Friday numbers suggest the movie has legs for the entire weekend and beyond.
However, the real test comes next week. Does this maintain momentum or drop sharply once the opening weekend crowd clears? Sequels arriving nearly two decades later sometimes struggle with staying power. But right now, Streep and company are serving looks and delivering results.