From celebrity cameos to lucrative brand partnerships, The Devil Wears Prada 2’s approach to maximising revenue is worthy of Runway’s finest
For a film that serves as a commentary on the perilous economics of today’s media landscape, it’s fitting that promotion for The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been so frank about its finances.
Speaking ahead of the New York premiere, Meryl Streep revealed she initially turned down the role of withering fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly in the 2006 original in a bid to extract more money from its producers.
“They called me up and they made an offer,” she told US TV show Today, “and I said, no, not going to do it. I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see [what would happen] if I doubled my ask. They went right away and said: ‘Sure!’ I thought, I’m 56 and it took me this long to understand that I could do that.”
Streep’s hardball bartering paid off all round. The film made more than nine times its $35m budget at the box office, enjoyed a strong streaming afterlife and became a cultural touchstone.
