The first two months of 2026 weren’t great for Hollywood films in India, but the tide now seems to have turned. Project Hail Mary emerged as a surprise super-hit and is expected to cross the Rs. 80 crore mark in its lifetime. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy has performed better than expectations. Last week, Bollywood Hungama was the first one to report that Michael was all set for a huge opening, as proven by its advance ticket sales. The biopic managed to sell more than 1 lakh tickets, stunning the trade. The film has collected nearly Rs. 15-16 crores in three days, including previews. And now, this week, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set to spring a surprise at the box office.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is all set to release on Friday, May 1, with previews from 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 30. As per the data accessed by Bollywood Hungama, the comedy drama has sold nearly 11,000 tickets for the weekend and paid previews, as of the morning of Monday, April 27. What’s interesting to note is that tickets started getting sold as soon as bookings went live on Sunday, April 26.
The first part of The Devil Wears Prada 2 was released 20 years ago, in 2006, but continues to enjoy cult status for its dramatic scenes, ode to fashion and, of course, Meryl Streep’s legendary performance. Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt’s performances were also quite loved and boosted their respective careers. A sequel to a two-decade-old film is always tricky, as one never knows whether the present generation of young audiences will turn up excitedly for a film whose original instalment was released either before they were born or when they were too young. In a market like India, it becomes all the more complicated, especially when films without mainstream mass appeal tend to do business in limited centres only.
However, the advance booking of The Devil Wears Prada 2 proves that both young audiences and older fans seem equally kicked about it. The film will release only in English and it’s pretty clear that urban premium audiences are expected to drive the sales. However, if this segment accepts the film, a healthy lifetime can be assured, as evident from the box office performance of films like Barbie (2023), F1: The Movie (2025), and the recently released Project Hail Mary and Michael.
The target for The Devil Wears Prada 2 will now be to beat the 1 lakh mark achieved by Michael in advance ticket sales. Despite the hype and encouraging bookings, it faces a major challenge as it releases on a very crowded weekend, with almost every industry coming up with a significant film on May 1. These include Raja Shivaji in Hindi and Marathi, Ek Din in Hindi, Patriot in Malayalam, Dhabkaaro in Gujarati, Pitt Siyapa in Punjabi and more. Hence, screen-sharing issues might crop up. Nevertheless, the strong start to advance booking and the urgency among audiences to book tickets are encouraging indicators and should infuse confidence in the studio.
Also Read: A hush-hush screening for The Devil Wears Prada 2 is being planned; will Karan Johar be among the first to watch it?
