In a fierce clash of sequels at the box office, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” narrowly slid past “Mortal Kombat II” to claim the top spot in North American theaters over the weekend. According to studio estimates released on Sunday, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” raked in $43 million in its second weekend, slightly outpacing the $40 million debut of “Mortal Kombat II.”
This weekend’s theater offerings were diverse, featuring a range of new films such as the family-friendly mystery “The Sheep Detectives” and a Billie Eilish concert film co-directed by James Cameron.
However, it was the returning favorite that reigned supreme. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” has amassed a staggering $433.2 million globally within just 12 days, helping propel The Walt Disney Studios past the $2 billion mark for the year. This sequel has already outshone its predecessor’s total earnings of $327 million worldwide in 2006, even without adjusting for inflation.
On the flip side, “Mortal Kombat II” provided a distinct counterbalance in terms of audience demographics during the second weekend of Hollywood’s summer movie season. Warner Bros. launched the film across 3,503 venues, attracting a predominantly male crowd, with 75% of viewers being men, according to PostTrak. In contrast, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” drew a largely female audience during its initial release.
The original “Mortal Kombat” movie, released in April 2021, was part of Warner Bros.’ strategy to simultaneously debut films in theaters and on HBO Max during the pandemic. The sequel has received mixed reviews and earned a B CinemaScore. Internationally, it garnered an additional $23 million from 78 markets, cumulating to a global opening of $63 million.
Meanwhile, “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic, secured the third spot in its third weekend, generating another $36.5 million, a mere 33% drop from the previous weekend. This brings its North American earnings to $240.5 million, surpassing the domestic total of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and reaching $577.4 million worldwide.
Fourth place went to Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Sheep Detectives” which brought in $15.9 million in its first weekend in 3,457 theaters. The quirky, all-ages murder mystery features a starry ensemble including Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun, as well as the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart as the sheep who try to figure out who murdered their shepherd. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The movie cost a reported $75 million to produce.
Rounding out the top five was “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard & Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” an immersive concert experience which Cameron shared co-directing credits on with Eilish. Paramount released the movie in 2,613 theaters, where it earned $7.5 million in North America and $12.6 million internationally. The movie was very well reviewed by critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who gave it an A CinemaScore.
