According to Forbes, the sequel lands on streaming platforms this week following its May 1 theatrical debut. The film earned $677 million globally, making it one of 2026's biggest earners. Director David Frankel reunited the original cast—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci—for a story centered on print media collapse and a struggling fashion magazine fighting for survival.
Hollywood just proved audiences will pay for familiar IP when it flatters their nostalgia while updating the backdrop to something they recognize: legacy media in freefall, layoffs, and the scramble for a corporate lifeline. That's not escapism. That's a mirror.
Studios still talk streaming strategy like it's the future. The truth: the old playbook works fine. Make it an event, collect the theater revenue, then sell convenience. The Devil Wears Prada 2 's plot is the tell. Even a glossy comedy now has to route itself through newsroom layoffs, brand leverage, and the hunt for a rich buyer, because that's how media actually feels in 2026. And because $677 million buys a lot of confidence in sequels built for people who saw the first one twenty years ago.
Filed to the Media desk · Jun 27