Weekend Box Office Recap: The Devil Wears Prada 2 Holds Off Mortal Kombat II in a Tight Summer Showdown

Weekend Box Office Recap: The Devil Wears Prada 2 Holds Off Mortal Kombat II in a Tight Summer Showdown

The weekend of May 8–10, 2026 gave theaters exactly what they wanted in the second frame of the summer movie season: a real race at the top, multiple audience segments showing up, and enough holdover strength to suggest the marketplace has more than one engine running. The Devil Wears Prada 2 stayed at No. 1 with an estimated $43 million domestic weekend, narrowly beating the new release Mortal Kombat II, which opened to $40 million.

Prada 2 Wins the Weekend — Barely

After opening big last weekend, The Devil Wears Prada 2 had a strong second-frame hold, dropping about 44% while expanding slightly to 4,200 theaters. Its domestic total now stands at about $144.8 million, and its worldwide total has already reached $433.2 million after less than two full weeks in release. That also means the sequel has already passed the original Devil Wears Prada, which earned about $327 million globally in 2006, not adjusted for inflation.

The win is especially notable because Mortal Kombat II did not underperform domestically. A $40 million opening is a solid start for the Warner Bros. sequel, but Prada 2 had the advantage of a timely Mother’s Day weekend, a broad multi-generational female audience, and strong holdover demand. Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian told AP that the release date may have been “the new blueprint for how to start a summer.”

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for the weekend of May 8–10, 2026:

The Devil Wears Prada 2 — $43.0 million Mortal Kombat II — $40.0 million Michael — $36.5 million The Sheep Detectives — $15.9 million Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft — The Tour Live in 3D — $7.5 million The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — $6.6 million Project Hail Mary — $6.1 million Hokum — $3.3 million Animal Farm — $663,624 Deep Water — $562,596 Mortal Kombat II Opens Strong, But Not Quite Strong Enough

Mortal Kombat II entered the weekend with a clear shot at No. 1. The sequel opened in 3,503 theaters, drew a heavily male audience, and finished with an estimated $40 million domestic debut. AP reported that 75% of its ticket buyers were men, making it almost the mirror image of The Devil Wears Prada 2’s audience profile from the prior weekend.

The domestic number is a good start, but the international performance made the picture more complicated. Mortal Kombat II earned $23 million from 78 international markets, giving it a $63 million global debut. That is enough to show interest in the franchise, but not enough to turn the weekend into a clear worldwide breakout, especially with Prada 2 and Michael both playing bigger globally.

Michael Keeps Dancing

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael continued to be one of the year’s biggest box office stories. In its third weekend, the film added $36.5 million domestically, down only about 33%, and brought its North American total to roughly $240.5 million. That means it has now passed Bohemian Rhapsody domestically to become the highest-grossing music biopic ever in North America.

Globally, Michael is even stronger. The film has now reached about $577.4 million worldwide, with major international totals in the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Brazil, and Italy. After its huge opening, the question was whether it would collapse quickly or become a true global event. Three weekends in, the answer is clear: it is holding.

New Releases Gave the Weekend Variety

Amazon MGM’s The Sheep Detectives opened in fourth place with $15.9 million from 3,457 theaters. That is a respectable start for a family-friendly mystery comedy, especially in a crowded weekend, and the audience response looks encouraging with an A- CinemaScore. The issue is cost: AP reported a production budget of about $75 million, so the film will need strong legs, international support, and eventual home/streaming value to fully make sense financially.

The weekend’s other notable newcomer was Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft — The Tour Live in 3D, which opened to $7.5 million domestic and $12.6 million internationally. The concert film, co-directed by Billie Eilish and James Cameron, earned strong audience and critic marks, including an A CinemaScore and a reported 93% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

Holdovers Still Matter

Below the major new releases, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary continued to add meaningful dollars. Mario Galaxy earned $6.6 million in its sixth weekend, pushing its domestic total to about $412.1 million. Entertainment Weekly reported the film has reached around $941.2 million globally, putting it within striking distance of the $1 billion mark.

Project Hail Mary added another $6.1 million in its eighth weekend, bringing its domestic total to roughly $327.8 million. Its continued presence in the top 10 is another sign that the current marketplace is being powered not just by one-weekend openings, but by movies with actual staying power.

The Bigger Story: A Healthy Early Summer Box Office

This was a strong weekend because the top three movies did not cannibalize each other. The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, and Michael served different audiences and combined for roughly $119.5 million domestically. Add in a family title, a concert film, an animated holdover, and a sci-fi holdover, and the weekend had a broader mix than the box office has often had in recent years.

That variety matters. AP noted that movies offering “pure, escapist entertainment” are drawing both new and repeat audiences, and this weekend supports that idea. The industry did not just get a fashion sequel, a video game adaptation, and a music biopic all performing well at the same time; it got them performing well with distinct audiences.

Looking ahead, Prada 2 will try to hold the crown for a third weekend, but competition is coming. Entertainment Weekly pointed to the horror film Obsession, from YouTuber Curry Barker and backed by Blumhouse and Focus Features, as a potential challenger because of its low reported budget and strong early buzz.

International Box Office

Internationally, The Devil Wears Prada 2 continued to be the weekend’s biggest global story. The film added $75.8 million overseas this weekend, bringing its international total to $288.4 million and its worldwide total to $433.2 million. Its biggest overseas markets so far include the United Kingdom with $28.5 million, Italy with $28.2 million, Brazil with $22 million, and Mexico with $20.1 million.

Michael also remained a major international performer. The biopic has now reached about $577.4 million worldwide, with overseas strength led by the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Brazil, and Italy. Its third-weekend global performance shows that the movie is not just a domestic phenomenon; it is one of 2026’s defining worldwide releases so far.

Mortal Kombat II opened to $23 million internationally from 78 markets, for a $63 million global debut. That gives the film a decent launchpad, but the global race this weekend clearly belonged to Prada 2 and Michael. Meanwhile, The Sheep Detectives added about $12 million internationally, and the Billie Eilish concert film brought in $12.6 million overseas, giving the lower half of the chart some added global support.

Bottom line: The Devil Wears Prada 2 won the weekend, Mortal Kombat II made a respectable debut, and Michael continued its remarkable run. More importantly, theaters got a balanced weekend where fashion, fighting, music, family comedy, animation, sci-fi, and concert programming all had a role to play.