The Devil’s in the Box Office: Prada 2 Shocks Hollywood (Ep. 357)

About this episode

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor discuss the surprising success of 'The Devil Wore Prada 2' and the evolving landscape of Disney's theatrical releases.

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor return with a packed episode that jumps from a galaxy far, far away to the runways of a surprise box office hit. They break down the evolving strategy behind Disney’s theatrical releases, spotlight a full-circle Star Wars character comeback, and dig into the unexpected success of a long-awaited sequel. Along the way, they explore new animation experiments, streaming debuts, and what’s next for both studios and theaters as summer heats up. HIGHLIGHTS • “The Devil Wore Prada 2” stuns with a $236 million global opening weekend, far exceeding expectations • Strong ongoing demand suggests the sequel has real staying power beyond its debut • Disney’s $80 million marketing push helps turn the film into a true theatrical event • “The Mandalorian & Grogu” positions itself as a lower-risk, high-upside Star Wars release • Rotta the Hutt returns in a full-circle moment from Dave Filoni’s earliest Star Wars work • “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” continues expanding the Disney+ storytelling universe • Disney experiments with ASL storytelling via “Songs in Sign Language” featuring Encanto, Frozen 2, and Moana 2 • Pixar’s “Hoppers” crosses $375 million globally and shows…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jim Hill, Drew Taylor

Topics covered

• box office analysis
• Disney theatrical releases
• Star Wars character comeback
• animation experiments
• streaming debuts
• film marketing

Keywords

• box office
• Disney
• Star Wars
• animation
• theatrical releases
• film marketing
• sequel success
• streaming

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Disney, Pixar

Books & works: The Devil Wore Prada 2, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, Songs in Sign Language, Encanto, Frozen 2, Moana 2

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