Released on May 1, 2026, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” was a huge success, with its box office numbers reaching almost $77 million on opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, and roughly $666 million gross worldwide, according to IMDb.
The fashion-filled sequel made a large comeback with returning stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.
Additionally, Lady Gaga made an exciting cameo where she performed her new song, “Shape of a Woman,” at Runway magazine’s fashion event in Milan, Italy. Her original song, “RUNWAY,” which she collaborated with Doechii, was a perfect finishing touch to the movie, giving that typical, energetic modeling beat, similar to Madonna’s “Vogue,” which was also included.
Before the movie, it wasn’t clear as to how the main female protagonist, Andrea (Andy) Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, would return to Runway magazine’s world of scrambling workplace drama and fashion. Yet, the movie’s plot made way for her natural return to the magazine, and it didn’t feel forced.
After Andy, a well-seasoned journalist, is publicly laid off from her job, she receives a call to assist Runway magazine in clearing their image after a fast-fashion scandal. In need of an income, she accepts the features editor position, reuniting herself with Miranda Priestly, the cold Editor-in-Chief of Runway magazine, played by Meryl Streep, and Nigel Kipling, played by Stanley Tucci.
The movie’s mention of sweatshop use in the fashion industry made it relevant to today, with 27.6 million men, women and children partaking in forced labor, according to the International Labour Organization as of 2022.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” continued to comment on current trends, which made it feel like a true sequel, accurately depicting how the characters’ lives changed with the times. Examples of this include an AI-generated picture roasting Miranda Priestly on social media, playful mocking of academic-obsessed college graduates, a comedic mention of a Starbucks venti and Miranda Priestly’s assistant trying to prevent her from being cancelled, especially as she struggles to comprehend the new promotion of body positivity in modeling.
Additionally, the movie follows the very real decline of physical media as digital journalism takes the rise; for example, Nigel made a remark about how his hard work goes into material that people merely scroll past.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” showed remarkable character development. Andy’s confidence is visibly higher, Nigel’s hard work and devotion no longer goes unnoticed, Emily Charlton, played by Emily Blunt, kindles a friendship with Andy and lastly, Miranda Priestly, while still putting on a semblance of the cold, iconic boss, is looked at at a deeper scale as her ambition is credited to her love of her job, which felt empowering to today’s society of women taking higher careers of power.
The movie showed themes of loyalty versus betrayal, the harvest of hard work and the importance of adapting to change.
While it touched on these significant ideas, the movie also remained comedic with funny, out-of-touch sarcasm from wealthy individuals and the delivery of one-liners that gave a strong punch.
The film felt empowering to women as it featured many working women who were dedicated to their careers. The emerging independence of Sasha Barnes, an affluent woman who was long defined by her previous marriage to a well-known entrepreneur, was heartfelt as she finally became recognized by Runway magazine for her own feats and views rather than her ex-husband’s.
Despite it being a sequel, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” stayed true to the first movie with subtle references. As Andy walks through Central Park, a vendor holds up two blue belts, a reminder of a similar scene in the first movie. Andy’s outfit at the end of the movie is strikingly familiar to her famous blue sweater from the first film, balancing both nostalgia and change. Lastly, Miranda Priestly’s cold-hearted legacy is remembered as current staff frantically serve her and speculate about her past treatment of workers, as well as a return of her iconic line, “That’s all.”
Overall, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” was certainly a movie worth seeing. It still felt like a classic, nostalgic early 2000s movie while making it relatable and accurate with the times and preserving the franchise’s iconicism.
