'The Devil Wears Prada 2' bests ‘Mortal Kombat II’ at the box office

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Meryl Streep in a scene from "The Devil Wears Prada 2." (Macall Polay/20th Century Studios via AP)

In a box office battle of the sequels, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had the slight edge over “Mortal Kombat II” in North American theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” earned a chart topping US$43 million in its second weekend, while “Mortal Kombat II” took in $40 million in its first.

This weekend had wide variety of newcomers playing in wide release, including the family-friendly whodunnit “The Sheep Detectives” and a James Cameron co-directed Billie Eilish concert film.

But it was the holdover that triumphed. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which has grossed $433.2 million worldwide in its first 12 days in release, helped push The Walt Disney Studios over $2 billion globally for the year. It’s also surpassed the total grosses of the first film, which earned $327 million globally in 2006, not accounting for inflation.

Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore, said Mother’s Day might have helped “Prada” get the advantage over the newcomer and have such a modest 44 per cent dip in weekend two.

“The release date was perfect,” Dergarabedian said. “This may be the new blueprint for how to start a summer.”

“Mortal Kombat II” provided some gendered counterprogramming in the second weekend of Hollywood’s summer movie season. Warner Bros. opened the movie in 3,503 locations where it drew a heavily male audience. According to PostTrak, 75 per cent of the ticket buyers were men. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had almost the exact opposite gender breakdown on its first weekend.

The first movie in this series, “Mortal Kombat,” was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 as a part of Warner Bros.’ pandemic-era day-and-date strategy. Reviews have been mixed for the sequel, as was its B CinemaScore. It also earned $23 million from 78 markets internationally, adding up to a $63 million global debut.

“Michael” landed in third place in its third weekend with another $36.5 million over the weekend, down only 33 per cent from last weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $240.5 million in North America, surpassing the total domestic grosses of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and $577.4 million globally.

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 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who gave it an A CinemaScore.

“Project Hail Mary,” in its eighth weekend, and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” in its sixth weekend, are still going strong as well — adding up to a weekend that is up significantly from the same weekend last year. Dergarabedian said the films that seem to be doing well and drawing new and repeat audiences week after week are the ones offering “pure, escapist entertainment.”

“This is playing out very well for movie theaters right now,” he said.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $43 million.

2. “Mortal Kombat II,” $40 million.

3. “Michael,” $36.5 million.

4. “The Sheep Detectives,” $15.9 million.

5. “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour,” $7.5 million.

6. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” $6.6 million.

7. “Project Hail Mary,”$6.1 million.

8. “Hokum,” $3.3 million.

9. “Deep Water,” $780,274.

10. “Animal Farm,” $663,624.

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press