The Devil Wears Prada 2 has pulled off the rarest trick in Hollywood: a sequel that critics like more than the original. The follow-up holds a 77 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, edging past the beloved original's 75 percent, while CinemaScore audiences handed it an A-minus — a clear step up from the first film's B. For fashionistas and comedy-drama fans alike, the winter 2026 release has become the season's feel-good success story.

The commercial performance has been just as impressive. The film opened to $77 million domestically and $233.6 million worldwide, then climbed to $144.8 million in North America and $433.2 million globally by the end of its second weekend. In just two weeks, it passed the entire worldwide run of the original film, which earned $326 million. The sequel's success also helped Disney become the first Hollywood studio in 2026 to push well past the $2 billion mark globally.

Those numbers put the Prada sequel in elite company this year, a run that recalls the kind of chart-topping staying power we have seen from the year's biggest international hits. And in a season of big swings, it stands alongside the industry's most ambitious franchise plays as proof that audiences still show up for the right legacy sequel.

The dream cast is back in full: Meryl Streep returns as the fearsome Miranda Priestly, alongside Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. The story finds Andy Sachs returning to work for Miranda after losing her newspaper job — a premise that could have felt like a cynical cash grab but, by all accounts, deepens the characters instead of coasting on nostalgia.

Streep's Miranda remains one of the great screen creations of the century, and the sequel reportedly reveals new dimensions to a character audiences thought they knew. It is the rare legacy sequel that justifies its existence on the page, not just at the box office.

With the holidays approaching and awards chatter building, The Devil Wears Prada 2 looks positioned for a long, fashionable run. For readers who enjoy dissecting how follow-ups land, our review desk's recent verdicts offer a useful counterpoint on when sequels miss.