Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway & Emily Blunt got the same salary for ‘Devil/Prada 2’

Hollywood is still reeling from The Devil Wears Prada 2’s box office success. It would not surprise me at all if the film ended its worldwide theatrical run with half a billion dollars. Hollywood is shook – this is, after all, a film without explosions or combat training or CGI or male leads. The three leads are women, two of whom are in their 40s and one of whom is in her 70s. Speaking of the leads, apparently Meryl Streep negotiated her salary alongside Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, so that all three women got the same upfront salary and what sounds like the same bonus/back-end structure.

The women of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” are clacking their stilettos all the way to the bank. As the sequel to the iconic fashion film continues to rake in cash across the globe — $300 million in box office and counting — multiple sources told Variety what the triumvirate of leading ladies earned to return after 20 years.

Streep, who stars again as the fearsome magazine editor Miranda Priestly, was obviously the most crucial element for filmmakers and distributor 20th Century Studios. They came to the table with an offer befitting Streep’s pedigree and enduring market value, four sources said.

While Streep could have commanded far more to don Priestly’s silver bob a second time, the sources said the 21-time Oscar nominee fetched $12.5 million for the David Frankel-directed sequel. And though Streep treats Hathaway and Blunt as underlings on screen, she shared the love with her costars in the negotiating room.

All three actors brokered a “favored nations” deal, two of the sources added, meaning Hathaway and Blunt were also cut $12.5 million checks to resurrect their respective characters, Andrea Sachs and Emily Charlton. It’s a classy move by Streep, and one that honors the ensemble magic that made the first “Prada” a perennial favorite.

The perks don’t stop there. In addition to eight-figure salaries, all three women were afforded lucrative box office bonuses — windfalls that will come as “Prada 2” continues to pass pre-negotiated milestones in box office receipts. Bonuses like these are standard for most movie stars, though sources said these incentives have already begun paying out thanks to the overwhelming response to the film. Each star could earn over $20 million, per two sources, if the sequel keeps packing in audiences.

Representatives for 20th Century Studios and CAA, the agency representing all three actors, had no comment on the matter. A rep for Streep had no comment. Reps for Hathaway and Blunt did not immediately return requests for comment.

[From Variety]

Meryl’s move was classy, but it was also smart – while it would have been easy for her to simply say “I’m not signing on without Emily and Anne,” she actually did the bigger thing and made sure that they were all a package deal, all equally important, and all paid equally. Smart. Plus, I think all three women just love these characters and this universe. Of course they all wanted to come back, but I love that they worked it out this way, salary-wise. It was also smart to take less money upfront, effectively betting on themselves and betting that the sequel would be massively successful.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.