Despite pre-release backlash over alleged anti-Asian mockery, the controversy didn’t dent its momentum. The Devil Wears Prada 2 stormed theaters with an overwhelming debut, seizing the box office the moment it opened.
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office system on the 30th, The Devil Wears Prada 2 drew about 150,769 moviegoers on its first day (the 29th), opening at No. 1. That’s the strongest opening of 2026 so far, handily surpassing the first-day tally of The King’s Warden (117,783), which ultimately sold 16.7 million tickets.
It also more than doubled the turnout of same-day release Super Mario Galaxy (60,439), securing a commanding lead out of the gate.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives nearly 20 years after the 2006 original. Set at the fashion magazine Runway, Miranda (played by Meryl Streep) reunites with Andy (Anne Hathaway), who has returned to the industry, and Emily (Emily Blunt), now a luxury brand executive, as the trio battles in a cutthroat landscape transformed by new media.
However, the film faced controversy ahead of release. In a preview clip, Andy meets a new assistant in the office — a woman who appears to be Chinese American and introduces herself as Qin Zhou (秦舟). Critics argued the character’s name sounded similar to the slur ‘ching chong,’ sparking accusations of racial insensitivity.
Even so, the movie is on a tear. Having set records on day one, all eyes are on the box-office trajectory The Devil Wears Prada 2 will chart in the coming weeks.