Twenty years is a long time to wait for a sequel. The Devil Wears Prada opened to $27.5M in 2006, legged out to $124.7M domestic and $326.5M worldwide, and became one of the most culturally durable comedies of the 2000s. Today it opens its sequel — with the full original cast, the same director, and two decades of accumulated nostalgia. The market has been asking for this for years. The question isn't whether it opens big. The question is how big.
Why the Range Is So Wide
The gap between Deadline's $73M and BoxOffice Pro's $105M reflects genuine uncertainty about how legacy sequels perform in 2026. The original film was beloved by a generation of women who are now 35–50 — a demographic that goes to movies in groups, drives strong opening weekends, and generates powerful word-of-mouth. The $20M in presales is the most reliable signal available: it exceeds Project Hail Mary's advance pace, which opened to $80.5M. Whether casual moviegoers show up on top of that core is what determines whether this lands at $80M or $100M.
The Michael Effect
Last weekend, Michael — the Michael Jackson biopic — was projected to open to $70M and delivered $97.2M, smashing records for a musical biopic. That over-performance has recalibrated the market's appetite for nostalgia-driven, non-franchise event films. Exhibition sources told trade outlets they would not be surprised if Prada 2 matches Michael's opening. The comparison is apt: both films are built on enduring cultural IP, both skew heavily female, and both carry the weight of decades of audience affection.
The Long Game
The original earned 62% of its worldwide gross internationally — a remarkably high offshore ratio for a comedy. Europe was particularly strong: the UK alone did $26.5M, Germany $23M+, Italy $19.3M. If the sequel matches that ratio, a $80M domestic opening implies $210M+ worldwide — clearing the film's production budget in its first weekend. Mother's Day weekend in week two provides a natural tailwind that could sustain strong weekday holds.
Actual opening weekend numbers will be updated on the collection page as results confirm Sunday evening.