Meryl Streep Reflects on the Challenges of Funding ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ After It Was Labeled a “Chick Flick”
Despite earning over $326 million worldwide for 20th Century Fox, The Devil Wears Prada faced significant challenges in securing its budget.
Meryl Streep recently reflected on the hurdles the 2006 film encountered as it was labeled a “chick flick,” a classification that complicated the budgeting process for the adaptation directed by David Frankel, based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel.
“Twenty years ago, it was categorized as a ‘chick flick,’ and that designation has kind of not worn well after Barbie and Mamma Mia!—to throw that in—and other films that completely catch the studios by surprise that people want to see them, because they have girls in the center of the story, women in the center of the story,” Streep shared during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Streep continued, “So, we had to scrabble for our budget. And that was true. I’ve talked to Greta [Gerwig] about it; that was true with Barbie a little bit, in comparison with what they spend on other films. This one, honey, they spent the money.”
Watch on Deadline
Streep will reunite with Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2, set to premiere on May 1. The sequel also features Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Patrick Brammall, Pauline Chalamet, B.J. Novak, Rachel Bloom, Sydney Sweeney, and Lady Gaga, among others.
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ (2026) (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
In The Devil Wears Prada 2, Andy (Hathaway) returns to Runway Magazine two decades after leaving her position under Miranda (Streep) in Paris. As the magazine struggles to navigate an evolving media landscape, Andy and Miranda must convince former assistant Emily (Blunt), now leading a luxury brand, to purchase advertising that could be vital for Runway‘s survival.
