Entertainment
Millennial Women Lift Devil Wears Prada 2 at Box Office
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” had a massive opening weekend with $77 million domestic, and who could possibly have seen this coming except every Millennial woman ever?
It was a sign of confidence that Disney dated this 20th Century Studios legacy sequel on the same weekend usually earmarked for Marvel movies, but the popularity — nay, the passionate adoration — of the original all but guaranteed this thing was going to be big. The 2006 film is a heavily rewatched comfort movie for an entire generation, and the only question here is why it took Disney so long to make the sequel.
Indeed, Hollywood pumps male-driven follow-ups into theaters like an assembly line (see: “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World,” etc.), and it’s high time it tapped into the power of nostalgia from Millennial women.
The opening weekend number — fueled by a 76% female and 58% over 35 audience — is even more impressive considering “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a compelling comedy, not a high-concept YA adaptation like “The Hunger Games” or IP twist like “Barbie.” It’s a pretty straightforward movie movie — you know, the kind Hollywood used to make all the time in the ’90s. And it’s a delight.
It also comes on the heels of a swell run for female-driven movies in theaters, as “The Housemaid” ($402 million worldwide) and “Wuthering Heights” ($242 million worldwide) both hit thanks to a majority female audience.
Now, try not to act too surprised when Warner Bros.’ “Practical Magic 2” is a huge hit this fall.
Box Office: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Kicks Off Summer With $233 Million Global Opening
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 Meryl Streep/Anne Hathaway sequel 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.
“Michael,” meanwhile, dropped 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. – Jeremy Fuster
The Spotlight
How big will this summer’s box office be? We could hit $4.2 billion, according to experts and our own Jeremy Fuster. Sure-things like Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” and Universal/Illumination’s “Minions” will be huge, but some curveballs like “Scary Movie 6” and YouTube sensation “The Amazing Digital Circus” could really elevate theaters. Read the full story here for a breakdown of the hits and what might miss.
New Releases
Letterboxd Saves Unreleased Films: Letterboxd was in the news this week with reports that it may be sold, but our own Casey Loving also took a deep dive into the cinephile-friendly social media site’s newly launched streaming platform.
Bidding War: TheWrap’s Umberto Gonzalez exclusively reported the five studios vying for Michael B. Jordan and Christopher McQuarrie’s “Battlefield” video game adaptation.
How to Get Into a Film Festival: Loving also wrote the next installment of our Trade Secrets series, this time offering expert advice on how to get your film into a festival.
Greta Gets 45 Days: Netflix pushed Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” to February 2027, and in doing so announced a full-throated 45-day theatrical window for the streamer’s big fantasy adaptation, which now opens wide.
Oscars Ban AI: The Oscars announced a rule change that bans any AI performance or AI-assisted screenplay from qualification in its awards.
Making a Comfort Movie Sequel: How did “Devil Wears Prada 2” happen so quickly? Andi Ortiz spoke to screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna to find out.
55 Shoot Days Across 2 Years: Drew Taylor had a long, candid chat with “Mother Mary” filmmaker David Lowery about making — and extensively reworking — his haunting Anne Hathaway drama.
Concession Stand
After going public with how little money they made off of their groundbreaking original, the OG “Blair Witch” cast and filmmakers are coming back for Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s new reboot.
Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” looks terrific.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is officially shorter than “Oppenheimer,” which clocked in at 3 hours.
LA production is up 10% from Fall 2025.
Is “The Sheep Detectives” the next “Paddington?” It’s at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Streaming Corner
- Yet another action hit for Netflix this week with the Charlize Theron/Taron Egerton thriller “Apex,” which follows a rock climber (Theron) being hunted through the Australian wilderness. The Netflix original film scored 38.2 million views in its first week, just a tad under the 39 million that “War Machine” scored in March and just a tad over the 37 million that shark thriller “Thrash” hit earlier in April. They’re on a roll.
What I’m Watching
We went to a sold-out showing of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on Friday night with friends and had a blast. Emily Blunt is a hoot, and the evolution of Meryl Streep’s Miranda was fascinating in the face of a crumbling media landscape. I think what’s most impressive about the sequel — aside from the fact that they reassembled the entire filmmaking team and cast — is how well it captures the vibe of the first film. That’s what has kept people coming back to the original “Devil” over and over again, and there’s a warmth to the sequel even as it’s tackling some big and scary stuff.
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Entertainment
CNN, MS NOW and Politico Seek to Extend White House Access Order, Warn Trump Will ‘Reinstitute a Complete Ban’ Without It
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CNN, MS NOW and Politico are warning that the Trump administration will reimpose a “complete ban” on their access to the White House without a judge issuing a preliminary injunction.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a temporary restraining order, forcing the White House to restore access to the White House to the outlets as he more fully considers the legal arguments. The TRO lasts for 14 days.
In a filing in federal court on Monday, attorneys for the three news outlets argued that the Trump White House actions since then “leave little doubt that it will immediately reinstitute a complete ban of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico if allowed the opportunity.”
The outlets’ legal team, led by Theodore Boutrous Jr., pointed to the White House’s restriction on CNN from access to State Dinner arrivals on Thursday evening. The network then was barred from serving as TV pooler on Air Force One on Trump’s trip to Tennessee on Saturday, with no replacement stepping in, and leaving a dearth of TV images from the trip.
“Because the ban is an unlawful assault on the most fundamental First Amendment freedoms and will inflict irreparable harm on Plaintiffs and the public if not restrained, this Court should preliminarily enjoin its enforcement pending the resolution of this case,” the news outlets’ attorneys wrote.
Kelly cited a lack of due process by the White House when it pulled dozens of credentials of reporters from the three outlets. While the Trump DOJ has cited standards of “professionalism and decorum” and national security concerns, the media outlets’ legal team called that reasoning that “pretextual” and “post hoc,” as well as vague.
In the latest brief, CNN, MS NOW and Politico also again cited violations of the First Amendment. They noted that Trump has explained the ban by blaming their coverage as “Purposely … negative,” among other things.
“His statements also make clear he implemented the ban to coerce more favorable coverage from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, and to deter other journalists and news organizations from newsgathering and reporting that the President might view as negative,” the news outlets’ legal team wrote. “And his administration has continued to retaliate against Plaintiffs even after the temporary restraining order, only underscoring that Defendants’ motive is to punish and chill journalism they dislike.”
The outlets are asking the judge to prohibit the Trump team from pulling hard pass credentials, or to ensure the reporters of the White House access they had before Sept. 18. In contrast to a TRO, a preliminary injunction would sideline Trump’s ban until a trial is held, or if an appeals court rules otherwise.
Trump initially banned the three outlets on Sept. 18. When the judge granted a TRO last early Thursday, it meant that the White House had to restore hard passes, with reporters not gaining reentry until around noon that day.
The issue of whether the White House can also restrict CNN from the pool is a slightly different, but related issue. It’s also one at the center of another case, involving the Associated Press after it was banned from the pool and other White House events. That case is currently on appeal.
That said, in the latest brief, the three outlets cited the White House’s continued prohibitions on CNN as an example of White House retaliation over protected speech.
For much of last week, there was no TV network pool, meaning that there was little video coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House. The four other networks in the pool — CBS News, ABC News, Fox News and NBC News — initially suspended their participation in protest of the exclusion of CNN. The networks resumed the TV pool coverage this week, but it will be put to the test again on Thursday, when CNN is assigned to that duty.
“Every day, critically important news is breaking at the White House, and the ban will substantially interfere with Plaintiffs’ ability to cover it,” the outlets brief stated. “The ban also inflicts an injury on all news media organizations—which now risk a similar fate if they engage in fact-based, independent reporting the President deems insufficiently favorable.”
The DOJ’s brief in response is due by Friday.
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