A battle of the sequels has taken over the box office, but only one can attain a flawless victory — and it isn’t the film where the phrase hails from (IYKYK). The Devil Wears Prada 2 retained the No. 1 spot globally in its second weekend, grossing US$75.8 million overseas and S$43 million in North America.
The numbers put its current worldwide haul at US$433.2 million, already ahead of the first film’s lifetime haul (US$326 million), not adjusted for inflation. It also marks a double celebration for Disney, with the 20th Century sequel only declining 46 percent internationally, and the House of Mouse becoming the first Hollywood studio to surpass US$2 billion in global ticket sales for 2026.
Nostalgia is undeniably a strong driving factor behind the success of The Devil Wears Prada 2, starting with a reunion of original cast members Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt, who all reprise their roles. The trailer debuted to a record-breaking 222 million views in 24 hours, while both David Frankel and Aline Brosh McKenna returned to direct and write the follow-up.
In the sophomore instalment, Andy Sachs (Hathaway), now a features editor at Runway magazine, reunites with Miranda Priestly (Streep), who’s forced to rely on her former assistant, Emily Charlton (Blunt), as they navigate their careers amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing. The first movie, based on Lauren Weisberg’s 2003 novel, followed Andy, an aspiring journalist who gets a job at a fashion magazine but finds herself at the mercy of her demanding editor, Miranda.
Second place went to Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat II, the sequel to 2021’s adaptation of the video game series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The R-rated martial arts pic opened to US$63 million globally, including a lower-than-expected US$23 million overseas, and is expected to outperform its predecessor in the coming weeks. However, it’s worth noting that the first movie launched with a major caveat — it also arrived simultaneously on HBO Max, and was released during a time when theatres were struggling to bounce back from the post-COVID slump.
Simon McQuoid returned to helm the film from a script by Jeremy Slater, which puts two newly introduced fan favourites into focus: Johnny Cage, played by The Boys star Karl Urban, and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). A third instalment is already in development, so the encouraging start bodes well for its future.
Michael Jackson biopic Michael came in third, generating US$557 million worldwide in its third weekend. While it beat Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time in North America, it still has a long way to go globally (US$911 million). Rounding out the top five are Sheep Detective, the live-action/CGI hybrid starring Hugh Jackman that debuted to US$28 million worldwide, as well as Paramount’s concert film Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), co-directed by the singer and James Cameron.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Yonk
