“Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea. Everyone wants this. Everyone wants to be us.”
That’s probably 20th Century Studios’ attitude this weekend, as The Devil Wears Prada 2 easily topped Friday’s box office charts with $32.5 million in 4,150 theaters in North America. The trendy sequel is targeting $75 million to $80 million by Sunday, but some box office projectionists expect it to earn about $90 million more in its opening weekend. The original The Devil Wears Prada premiered in June 2006 and grossed $27.5 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend and $125 million domestically by the end of the box office ($45 million and $204 million adjusted for inflation).
Original director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna both returned for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which also stars original stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. The sequel will see Hathaway’s Andy Sachs become an authority in fashion journalism and reunite with Streep’s powerful editor-in-chief Miranda Priestley at Runway magazine.
Last weekend’s winner “Michael” dropped to second place with $14.4 million domestically in its second Friday in theaters. By Sunday, Lionsgate’s music biopic on the King of Pop is expected to have grossed an additional $51 million, representing a drop of about 48% from last week’s numbers. The domestic total is expected to reach $180 million by the end of the week.
If “Michael” can maintain its strength, it could overtake 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time. The film grossed $910 million at the close of the box office. Even if it falls short of that number, “Michael” has an even greater chance of surpassing “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” as Lionsgate’s highest-grossing film in history ($865 million).
Alongside “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Angel Studios’ animated film “Animal Farm” also opened in theaters on Friday. Domestically, it grossed an estimated $1.1 million from 1,130 theaters, ranking No. 6. Andy Serkis directs and stars in this family-friendly remake of George Orwell’s 1945 allegorical novel. The cast also includes Jim Parsons, Iman Vellani, Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, and Kieran Culkin.
The movie “Super Mario Galaxy” earned $2.7 million domestically on Friday, taking third place and is expected to add $12 million by Sunday. This puts the video game sequel at $402 million domestically by its fifth weekend of release.
Neon newcomer “Hokum” came in at No. 4, earning an estimated $2.6 million domestically. The goal is to raise about $6 million by Sunday. Written and directed by Damien McCarthy, this horror film follows a writer who goes to scatter his parents’ ashes at an Irish inn, unaware that the mansion is haunted by an ancient evil. Starring Adam Scott, with Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, and Mallory Adams.
Finally, “Project Hail Mary” came in at No. 5 with $2.2 million. The North American total is expected to add $8.9 million by the end of the week, reaching $318 million by Sunday.
