The Devil Wears Prada 2 Just Crossed $500M Worldwide — And It Changes Everything for Princess Diaries 3

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Just Crossed $500M Worldwide — And It Changes Everything for Princess Diaries 3

Remember when Hollywood said sequels that arrive 20 years after the original were a terrible idea? Well, The Devil Wears Prada 2 just laughed at that assumption — and walked away with over $500 million in its pockets. The 2026 sequel, directed by David Frankel and starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, has officially become one of the biggest box office surprises of the year.

And honestly? This changes everything for another long-awaited millennial sequel: The Princess Diaries 3.

A Box Office Run Nobody Saw Coming

Let's break down the numbers, because they're genuinely wild. The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened with a massive $77 million in North America — completely crushing the original 2006 film's $27.5 million debut. In its second weekend, it pulled in another $41.6 million, bringing its domestic cume to over $175 million. Globally, the film is now approaching $550 million.

Even in its fourth weekend — after being dethroned by the Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" (which crossed $703 million worldwide) — Prada 2 still managed $18 million domestically. That kind of leg is almost unheard of for a legacy sequel. For comparison, even Mortal Kombat II, which opened last weekend to a solid $38.5 million, can't match the sustained staying power that Prada 2 has demonstrated over nearly a month.

The film's success proves something Hollywood has been ignoring: millennials don't just want nostalgia — they want earned nostalgia. You can't just slap a beloved title on a cash grab. But when you bring back the entire original cast, hire the right director, and actually write a story worth telling? The audience shows up.

What This Means for Princess Diaries 3

Here's where things get exciting. Princess Diaries 3 has been in development for years, with Anne Hathaway confirmed to return as Mia Thermopolis and Julie Andrews expected to reprise her role as Queen Clarisse. Garry Marshall's legacy (the late original director) will undoubtedly shape how Disney approaches this project, but the Prada 2 blueprint is now crystal clear.

At the 2026 Met Gala, Anne Hathaway's look was widely interpreted as a deliberate nod to Princess Diaries — another hint that Disney is serious about making this happen. And if Hathaway's Met Gala fashion choices are any indication, the studio seems to understand that the millennial audience is ready and waiting.

The math is simple: if Prada 2 can earn $500+ million with a two-decade gap, then Princess Diaries 3 — which arguably has an even more devoted fanbase — could be one of Disney's safest theatrical bets right now. The key? Respect the source material, bring back the beloved cast, and don't try to modernize something that doesn't need modernizing.

Other legacy sequels are already watching and taking notes. The success of Michael ($703M+), Prada 2 ($550M+), and the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu (arriving Memorial Day weekend) all point to one thing: audiences are hungry for stories that honor the past while delivering something genuinely new. The era of lazy nostalgia-bait is over — the era of legacy sequels done right has just begun.