Devil Wears Prada 2 Is Finally Here: Was It Worth the 20-Year Wait?

By Mia Torres · May 10, 2026

Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers a genuinely satisfying sequel that respects the original while telling a fresh story about fashion, power, and reinvention. Meryl Streep is magnetic as ever, Anne Hathaway brings new depth to Andy, and the film's commentary on how digital media disrupted fashion feels sharp and relevant. It opened to $48 million domestically and earned an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score.

I Watched the Original 47 Times. I'm Not Exaggerating.

I need to be honest with you before we go any further: I am deeply, embarrassingly biased about this movie. The original Devil Wears Prada shaped my entire understanding of what it means to be excellent at your job while losing yourself in the process. I watched it in college during finals week, then again during my first terrible internship, then again when I quit that internship. It became my comfort film, my motivation film, and my "I need Meryl Streep to silently judge me into being better" film.

So when they announced a sequel twenty years later, I felt something I can only describe as protective panic. Would they ruin it? Would they turn Miranda Priestly into some softened grandmother figure who learned to be nice? Would they make Andy the villain? My stomach genuinely hurt thinking about the possibilities.

I saw the sequel opening night. I left the theater at 11:47 PM and sat in my car for ten minutes processing. Here's what I think.

Miranda Priestly vs. the Algorithm

The genius of this sequel is its central conflict. Miranda Priestly, the woman who could end careers with a glance, now faces an enemy she cannot intimidate: the internet. Runway magazine is hemorrhaging subscribers. Print is dying. And a 26-year-old influencer with 40 million TikTok followers has just been named the new voice of fashion by every publication Miranda once controlled.

Meryl Streep plays this with such restrained fury that I forgot I was watching an actress. There's a scene where Miranda scrolls through TikTok for the first time, and her face cycles through confusion, disgust, and something that looks terrifyingly like fear. It lasts maybe eight seconds. It's the best acting I've seen all year.

The film doesn't mock Miranda for being out of touch. Instead, it asks a genuinely interesting question: does taste still matter in an era where algorithms decide what we wear? I think about this constantly now.

Andy Sachs Grew Up, and So Did We

Anne Hathaway returns as Andy, now running a digital media company that covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. She's successful, confident, and has clearly learned from her time at Runway. But she's also become something she never expected: a gatekeeper. The scenes where Andy realizes she's become a version of Miranda are handled with real subtlety.

The film brings them back together through a crisis that I won't spoil, but I will say it involves the kind of power play that made the original so delicious. Their dynamic has shifted beautifully. They're equals now, or close to it, and watching two phenomenal actresses spar on that level is genuinely thrilling.

TikTok Cannot Stop Quoting Miranda Priestly

Here's something the marketing team probably didn't expect: TikTok absolutely exploded with Miranda Priestly content in the weeks before release. Old clips from the 2006 film were already viral gold, but the new trailer gave creators fresh material. The "That's all" audio has been used in over 2 million videos. People are doing Miranda Priestly ASMR. Someone made a Miranda Priestly study playlist that has 800,000 followers.

This matters for the box office, and it shows in the numbers. The $48 million opening weekend is remarkable for a non-franchise sequel to a 20-year-old comedy. Young audiences who weren't born when the original came out are discovering it through TikTok and then bringing their parents to the sequel. It's a perfect storm of nostalgia marketing meeting organic social media hype.

What the Fashion Industry Looks Like in 2026

The original film captured a very specific moment in fashion: the late-stage dominance of print magazines, celebrity-driven trends, and gatekept exclusivity. Twenty years later, the sequel walks into a completely different world. Fast fashion brands produce runway knockoffs in 48 hours. AI generates outfit recommendations. Instagram stylists have replaced magazine editors as tastemakers.

The film handles this transition with surprising depth. There's a subplot about a sustainable fashion startup that Miranda initially dismisses as "charity cosplay" before recognizing it as the future. The costume design team deserves awards for showing how fashion itself has evolved, from the structured power suits of 2006 to the fluid, boundary-breaking styles of 2026.

I found myself genuinely moved by the film's argument that craftsmanship and editorial vision still have a place, even when the delivery method changes. Runway magazine doesn't die in this movie. It transforms. And watching Miranda accept that transformation without losing her identity is the emotional core of the entire story.

The Verdict: Yes, It Was Worth the Wait

I walked in terrified they'd ruin something I loved. They didn't. Devil Wears Prada 2 is that rare sequel that justifies its existence by having something genuinely new to say. It's not just "remember how great the first one was?" It's a real film about power, relevance, and the courage to evolve without abandoning who you are.

Is it perfect? No. The subplot with Emily Blunt feels rushed, and there's a third-act twist that strains credibility. But Meryl Streep turning a TikTok scroll into a career-defining moment? Anne Hathaway realizing she became the thing she feared? Those moments are worth every penny of the ticket price.

My rating: 8.5 out of 10. Go see it. Bring tissues. And maybe rewatch the original first, because the callbacks will hit so much harder.