The Devil Wears Prada 2 has strutted its way to $433 million globally, while Michael has moonwalked past $577 million. And before you dismiss this as just box office scorekeeping, these numbers tell us something important about theatrical viability in 2026.
Let's start with the obvious question: why are these films working when so many others aren't? We're in an era where studios constantly bemoan theatrical challenges, where mid-budget films supposedly can't survive, where everything needs to be a franchise or it's straight to streaming.
Yet here's Devil Wears Prada 2 - a sequel to a 20-year-old movie that wasn't even a massive theatrical hit originally - crossing $400 million worldwide. And Michael, a biopic in a genre that Hollywood keeps declaring dead, heading toward $600 million.
The Devil Wears Prada sequel benefits from perfect timing. The original has spent two decades becoming a cultural touchstone through cable rewatches and streaming. Meryl Streep reprising Miranda Priestly isn't just casting - it's a cultural event. The film understands that nostalgia works best when it's self-aware, and the screenplay smartly updates the fashion world critique for the social media era.
Meanwhile, Michael succeeds by doing what music biopics do best: providing a theatrical experience that streaming can't replicate. Michael Jackson's music demands to be heard loud. His dance moves require a big screen. The film doesn't shy away from controversy, but it understands that audiences came for the spectacle.
What's fascinating is how these successes contradict conventional wisdom. Studios spent years convinced that only superhero films and established franchises could reliably draw crowds. But Michael isn't based on existing IP in the traditional sense, and Devil Wears Prada 2 is a legacy sequel that nobody was demanding.
The theatrical vs. streaming debate often misses the point. It's not about whether theatrical exhibition can survive - it's about whether studios will make films worth seeing in theaters. Both Michael and Devil Wears Prada 2 understand their medium. They're crafted for theatrical consumption, with visual scope and audio dynamics that reward the big screen experience.
Compare this to the numerous films that get theatrical releases but feel like extended streaming pilots. Those films wonder why audiences don't show up. The answer is simple: because we can wait.
But when you've got Meryl Streep delivering perfectly calibrated line readings that become instant memes, or Michael Jackson's catalog filling a theater with sound that rattles your chest, you can't wait. You want to be there opening weekend, sharing the experience.
The box office performance also signals something about demographics. Both films are drawing older audiences who've been underserved by theatrical releases. Devil Wears Prada 2 attracts the crowd that loved the original. Michael brings out multiple generations, from those who saw him in his prime to younger audiences discovering why he mattered.
Neither film will save theatrical exhibition single-handedly. But they prove a point that should be obvious but apparently isn't: make good movies that use the medium well, and people will show up. Crazy concept, right?
