Meryl Streep Forces Equal Pay for Emily Blunt Movies Sequel
Meryl Streep reportedly changed the pay structure on emily blunt movies sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2, getting Disney to pay Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt the same amount as her. Variety reported Streep's salary at $12.5 million, and the deal reportedly used a favored nations clause.
Streep’s $12.5 Million Deal
Streep initially turned down the offer until producers raised it, then said, “I doubled my ask,” and added, “It took me this long to understand that I could do that!” She also said, “They needed me, I felt.” That is the part that changes the story from a standard sequel payday to a negotiated floor for the rest of the cast.
The report says the 20th Century Studios production owned by Disney paid Hathaway and Blunt the same amount as Streep under that favored nations arrangement. David Frankel had previously said most of the film’s $100 million budget went to the cast, and this salary structure fits that expensive setup more than a typical sequel contract.
$300 Million and Rising
The Devil Wears Prada 2 had made $300 million worldwide in one week, and sources said each star could earn an additional $20 million if the box office keeps climbing. The film is also projected to make another $42 million in its second weekend, which gives the bonus pool a real path to expansion rather than a theoretical one.
That creates a simple business read: the upfront checks are already huge, but the backend could push all three stars far beyond the reported $12.5 million number. Streep's sequel salary is also not her highest film haul to date, since Variety reported she made more on Netflix's 2021 disaster film Don't Look Up.
2006 Sets the Benchmark
The original The Devil Wears Prada made $325 million at the box office in 2006 and earned Streep a Best Actress nod. This sequel is now operating in the same commercial lane, only with a compensation model that reflects how much leverage the lead cast still carries when the brand has proven box-office value.
For readers tracking Emily Blunt Movies as a business story, the useful takeaway is the deal math: one star's higher ask helped lock in equal pay for all three principals, and the growing worldwide total could add another $20 million apiece. At this point, the salary story is moving in step with the grosses, not ahead of them.
