Entertainment

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Kicks Off Summer Box Office With $233 Million Global Opening

Published

3 months ago

May 3, 2026

The first weekend of the summer box office is seeing an overall total of $174 million, a 19% increase over last year thanks to a strong opening weekend for 20th Century’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and a remarkable second weekend hold for Lionsgate/Universal’s “Michael.”

“Prada 2” leads the charts with a $77 million domestic and $233 million global opening, above the $74.3 million domestic/$160 million global start of last year’s summer kickoff film, Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*.” The film needs roughly $535 million in global grosses to pass the inflation-adjusted theatrical run of the first “Devil Wears Prada,” which made $326.5 million before adjustment in 2006.

Italy, where much of “Devil Wears Prada 2” takes place, was the top international market for the film with a $16.6 million opening. It is followed by Brazil with $12.6 million, United Kingdom with $12 million and Mexico with $11.7 million.

Like its predecessor, “Devil Wears Prada 2” has been well received by both critics and audiences, earning an A- on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 77% critics and 87% audience. As expected of a sequel to a 2000s dramedy aimed towards women, “Prada 2” had an audience share of 76% women with 58% over the age of 35.

With the upcoming release slate including Amazon MGM’s family friendly “The Sheep Detectives,” Warner Bros./New Line’s male-skewing “Mortal Kombat II” and the “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” “Prada 2” should be able to find a lane of its own.

“Michael” has certainly found a lane of its own, dropping just 44% from its excellent $97 million opening for a $54 million second weekend. The overseas hold was even stronger with just a 21% drop to $80 million across all markets, bringing the film’s two-weekend total to $183.3 million domestic and $424 million worldwide.

More to come…

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Best Friend Forever Boards TIFF Midnight Madness Indian Title ‘Half’

Published

2 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Best Friend Forever has boarded international sales rights to Malayalam-language vampire revenge action-thriller Half ahead of its world premiere in Toronto’s Midnight Madness section.

The acquisition marks a rare crossover play for an Indian genre cinema to land a European sales agent and a Midnight Madness slot months ahead of its home-market release, rather than after building a domestic track record first.

Produced by Kerala-based Fragrant Nature Film Creations, Half is directed and co-written by Samjad with Praveen Viswanath, who previously made waves together with 2024 Malayalam psychological mystery-thriller Golam (Amazon Prime). It stars Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj, Abbas and Amala Paul, alongside Srikanth Muruli.

Half follows twin half-blooded vampires (Ranjith Sajeev and Aiswarya Raj) as they wage war with desert highway hijackers in a gory martial arts Indian western from

Choreographer Very Tri Yulisman (The Raid 2, The Night Comes for Us) spent months training the cast to perform their own stunts and built custom camera rigs to shoot the fight sequences in-camera. Members of Yulisman’s team were also involved in the recent hit The Furious.

“Half is a fresh take on two genre classics, seamlessly blending the revenge thriller and vampire film with expertly choreographed fight sequences and top-tier production value. The Midnight Madness crowd is in for a brutally fun ride. We can’t wait to unleash it!,” said Best Friend Forever co-founders Martin Gondre and Charles Bin.

The film is produced by Anne Sajeev and Sajeev P.K. for Fragrant Nature Film Creations, the Kerala-based banner behind the hit Mohanlal-starrer, Pranayam (2011), and the Sufi-themed romantic drama Qalb (2024).

Excel Entertainment, in association with AA Films, will present and distribute Half across North India, marking Excel’s first collaboration with the Malayalam film industry.

Best Friend Forever’s TIFF slate also features Cannes Un Certain Regard prize winner Elephants in the Fog, which plays in the Centrepiece sidebar, with other current sales titles including Annecy Grand Prix Contrechamp and Fantasia winner Blaise; Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay winner Nina Roza; and the animated titles Chimney Town: Frozen in Time and Papaya.

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DreamLab Films Boards Satirical Iranian TIFF Title ‘Head to Head’

Published

21 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: DreamLab Films has boarded sales on satirical Iranian picture Head to Head (Sar beh Sar) about a film production in which the male cast members are subjected to the strict dress rules applied to women in Iran, ahead of its world premiere at TIFF.

Blending dark comedy with sharp social observation, the Iran-Germany co-production marks Ghasideh Golmakani’s first feature after a string of internationally screened short films exploring gender, power and social taboos in Iran.

Set in contemporary Iran, Head to Head follows an acclaimed female writer-director who makes the radical choice to require men to wear skirts and headscarves for her latest film. As the men struggle with heat, restrictions, and wounded pride, tension swells and Bahar’s hopes for success are met with growing resistance.

The film stars Mehrnoosh Satari, Saeed Naderi, Ebrahim Azizi (It Was Just an Accident), Amir Hajimohammadi, Elaheh Farazmand and Lili Farhadpour (My Favorite Cake).

Golmakani also wrote and produced the feature, with David M. Lorenz serving as associate producer and Saba M. Rezaei as executive producer. Cinematography is by Amin Jafari, sound design by Alireza Alavian, production design by Melody Esmaeili and original music by Yoones Eskandari.

The director, who holds a PhD from the Sorbonne on Iranian women filmmakers before and after the Revolution, said the film grew out of years of reflecting on the place of women in Iranian cinema.

“Head to Head is rooted in years of observing the challenges women face in Iranian cinema. It is not only a reflection on the situation experienced by women, but also an invitation to male colleagues to reflect on what women have had and still have to endure in order to continue existing on the cinema screen,” she said

Paris-based DreamLab Films is handling worldwide sales and festival strategy.

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‘Sorry, I Didn’t Know’s Historic ITV Run Extends To Seventh Season

Published

28 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Sorry, I Didn’t Know is again extending its record-breaking run on ITV, and this time it appears to have set another high bar.

The British comedy panel show has been renewed for a seventh season, a decade after UK commercial network ITV first commissioned it from TriForce Productions. The re-order extends Sorry, I Didn’t Know‘s record as the longest-running show from a Black-led production company.

Reps for the show say today’s news means it has now also broken the record for the longest-running Black TV show in British history, passing classic Channel 4 sitcom Desmond’s, which ran for six seasons between 1989 and 1994, and BBC Two’s The Real McCoy, which ran on BBC Two between 1991 and 1996 for five seasons and a special ‘Best of’ clip series. Verifying such records is complicated, but both ITV and TriForce are certain it is the case.

Host Chizzy Akudolu will return for Season 7, which will hit screens later this year on ITV1 and streamer ITV. Team captains Richard Blackwood and Eddie Kadi will also return. The show sees Blackwood, Kadi and guests compete in a quiz on Black history. Akudolu was initially a team captain, but replaced Jimmy Akingbola as host for the sixth season.

Filming is taking place this summer in front of a live studio audience in London. Previous guest talent includes Adjoa Andoh, Susan Wokoma, Munya Chawawa, Stephen K Amos, Marcus Brigstocke, Angellica Bell, Richie Anderson, Oti Mabuse, Jordan Stephens, JB Gill, Babatunde Aléshé, Colin Jackson, Seann Walshe and Jamelia. No word on talent for Season 7 just yet.

“We’re so excited Chizzy is taking her place again as queen of the show,” said Fraser Ayers, exec producer for TriForce. “At 10 years and the seventh season, it’s an incredibly special one, and having been in every episode since the pilot in 2016 she’s the perfect host to shepherd us into this next chapter.

“With lots of surprises planned for this series, it’s going to be a special one. We thank ITV for the support they give us to keep making this ground-breaking show, as it seems like a little bit of knowledge, and a lot of laughs, is needed now more than ever.”

The Season 7 order came from ITV’s Director of Entertainment & Daytime Commissioning, Katie Rawcliffe and Entertainment Commissioner Gemma John-Lewis. Ayres, Minnie Ayres and Akingbola exec produce for TriForce. The series editor is Delia Williams.