Meryl Streeps Bold Salary Demand for Prada Role

Variety's Guy Lodge added, 'It is, by almost any metric, a lesser movie: narratively, emotionally and cinematically flatter, buoyed by game performances that nonetheless steadfastly fail to surprise.'

He went on to say the sequel 'functions less as a follow-up than as a kind of tribute act.'

Deadline's Damon Wise was blunt in his assessment, writing that The Devil Wears Prada 2 'doesn't really have a story,' though he did single out Tucci for praise, noting he’s 'stealing his scenes with a lot more of what worked so well' in the original.

Wise also took issue with what he described as the film’s 'precious little [romantics subplots],' including storylines involving Kenneth Branagh and Patrick Brammall as love interests for Miranda and Andy.

Over at The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney struck a slightly softer tone, saying the sequel is ‘best when it sticks to fluffy, fun nostalgia.'

Meanwhile, TheWrap's William Bibbiani suggested the bar for sequels should be simple - that they 'justify its own existence' - but argued this installment falls short.

'The Devil Wears Prada 2 doesn’t have a coherent theme, so its vibes have nothing to stick to,' he wrote. 

‘It never makes the convincing argument for its own existence, other than saying the journalism business stinks right now, and that there’s no solution that doesn’t involve billionaires who are more likely to ruin the industry than save it. Maybe that’s true but it’s not much of a movie. 

'At least the gang's all here, and the gang’s still charming, but the gang would have been better off doing something else.'

Not all the early reaction was scathing, however, with some critics more than happy to take a front-row seat for the sequel's glossy return.

USA Today’s Brian Truitt highlighted the ‘warm chemistry’ between Hathaway and Tucci, while also praising the dynamic between Blunt’s Emily and Hathaway’s Andy as ‘the real throwback that works best.’

Writing in The New Yorker, Justin Chang struck a similarly upbeat tone, noting that ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2 is, no less than its predecessor, a glossy Manhattan fairy tale, and one so overstuffed with top-of-the-line fabrics that cushy landings are all but certain.’

He added that, in some respects, the sequel even proves 'savvier than its predecessor.’

Even The Hollywood Reporter’s Rooney found room for praise, writing, ‘If you go into The Devil Wears Prada 2 looking for fierce fashion porn, bitchy put-downs and a fresh dose of Meryl Streep's iconic performance as imperious Anna Wintour clone Miranda Priestly, you are unlikely to be disappointed.’

Despite the lukewarm critical response, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is still strutting toward a potentially blockbuster opening at the box office.

According to Variety, the sequel is eyeing a hefty $75 million to $80 million debut across roughly 4,100 North American theaters - with some projections climbing as high as $90 million to $100 million thanks to the original’s enduring appeal.

Internationally, the film is expected to pull in another $100 million, putting its global opening weekend haul in the $175 million to $190 million range.

The big numbers come as 20th Century Studios reportedly splashed out around $100 million on the sequel’s production alone, not including its hefty worldwide marketing spend.

That’s a significant jump from the original 2006 film, which was made for a comparatively modest $40 million.

And while the first movie opened to $27.5 million domestically before going on to earn $125 million in North America and $325 million worldwide, the sequel looks poised to outpace it from day one - even if critics aren’t entirely sold.