Runway Reigns: 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Pushes the Franchise Past $1 Billion at the Box Office

Disney's "The Devil Wears Prada 2" has grossed $676 million worldwide, pushing the two-film franchise past $1 billion. The sequel nearly tripled the original's opening weekend and reunited Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci two decades after the first film.

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" has officially turned the two-film franchise into a billion-dollar property. The Disney sequel has now grossed $676 million worldwide, and combined with the 2004 original's $326 million haul, the Andy-and-Miranda saga has sailed past the $1 billion mark — a rare feat for a comedy in the post-pandemic box office.

A Billion-Dollar Runway

Crossing $1 billion with just two films is a genuine milestone, especially for a non-superhero comedy in an era when audiences have been slow to return to theaters for anything but tentpole spectacle. Disney spent roughly $100 million to produce "The Devil Wears Prada 2" and another $80 million to market it, which means the studio is set to turn a tidy profit on the sequel.

How the Sequel Outpaced the Original

The follow-up opened in early May to $77 million in North America and $233 million globally — nearly three times the original's debut. From there it held as a steady big-screen draw, accumulating $217 million domestically and $458 million overseas to rank as the fourth-biggest domestic release, the third-largest international release and the fourth-highest-grossing worldwide title of its run to date.

Reviving a Cultural Touchstone

The original "The Devil Wears Prada" was based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel, a roman à clef inspired by her time as an assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The sequel — which brought back director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna — picks up 20 years later as Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs returns to Runway magazine as a features editor working under Meryl Streep's all-powerful editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly.

Reviving a beloved property is no guarantee of box office success — legacy sequels like "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "Karate Kid: Legends" and "Zoolander 2" all learned that the hard way. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" succeeded by pairing nostalgia with a story made relevant for today, and by reuniting the original ensemble of Streep, Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.

Why Fans Are Buzzing

For Disney, the result is a reminder that mid-budget, star-driven films can still become major theatrical events when the material connects. For fans, it's vindication that one of the most quotable movies of the 2000s could return two decades later and not just satisfy, but break records. With $676 million already in the bank and counting, Runway's reign at the box office shows no signs of slowing.