The minds behind "The Devil Wears Prada 2" got it mostly right. And the box office results prove it.
The legacy sequel is cleaning up in theaters, and its second weekend haul is dropping less than 50 percent. That means positive word of mouth is kicking in, bigly.
What went right?
The film isn't woke, offers plenty of female-leaning escapism, and doesn't lecture the audience like recent woke flicks.
Well, maybe a little.
Our heroine, the scrappy Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), is now a veteran journalist speaking truth to power. Don't laugh. This is a Hollywood film, and it can pretend Legacy Media actually provides a valuable service.
In "Prada" land, reporters are a necessary part of Western culture, not a gaggle of activists eager to bury inconvenient narratives.
Andy's character still has a bone to pick with a society where income inequality separates the haves and the have-nots. It's a thread that isn't beaten to death (remember, no lectures!), but it's something you can't miss. Plus, her character has a romance with an Aussie building developer who makes homes for the uber-rich.
That's an obvious obstacle to their courtship.
Two problems immediately leap to mind.
One, the film's core players cashed in, big time, on the 2006 film's enduring appeal. Hathaway earned $12.5 million for returning to the franchise. So did Meryl Streep as the villainous Miranda and Emily Blunt as ... Emily.
Variety suggests Streep could have earned far more, but she didn't fight for every last nickel and made sure her fellow stars got the exact same figure. (There's no mention in the story about Stanley Tucci, who excels once more as the snarky but sweet Nigel).
The trio will reap the film's rewards all the same, since they snagged bonuses tied to how well the film performs at the box office. So far, its global tally is nearly $260 million - and growing.
Ka-ching!
Guess the stars don't mind leaning into their "Haves" status, right? Here's betting their trailers were a tad more expansive than the crew members' abodes.
That hypocrisy exists on the screen, too. For all of Andy's complaints about inequality, she sure does love the lifestyle her job provides. It starts with clothing that most moviegoers could never afford. Add international travel, fancy hotels, and other benefits.
Andy never looks embarrassed by the opulence. Heck, she's earned it, right? And she doesn't have a second thought about the income divide in the country while living it up. Maybe she'll pen a stirring op-ed about it next week ... from Milan or some other hot spot!
The original "Prada" forced Andy to ask some tough questions about her career. Should she swallow her journalistic pride to work under a cruel editor pushing frivolous fashion content? Was she losing her identity while draping herself in high fashion? The first film featured Adrien Grenier as her moral barometer, gently pushing Andy along the righteous path.
That arc powered the film and helps explain its enduring appeal. Grenier doesn't so much as get a cameo in "Prada 2."
The sequel deserves credit for giving the people what they want, but it also reminds us of stars who talk a good progressive game but can't stop loving the perks of their profession.
