The internet is doing what it does best—zooming in, dissecting, and debating—and this time the spotlight is on a viral-looking image from The Devil Wears Prada 2 that many initially assumed was generated by artificial intelligence.
Artist Alexis Franklin is behind one of the most talked-about visuals in the film—a meme that looks AI-generated but was actually created by her for the project.
The image appears during an early moment in the sequel as Runway magazine faces online backlash tied to editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. Among the wave of digital reactions is a viral-style meme showing Priestly as a fast-food worker with the caption, “Would you like some lies with that?”
But here’s the twist: the “AI-style” meme wasn’t AI at all.
It was created by Franklin, who revealed she was commissioned to design the image for the film. She shared the work on Instagram alongside a time-lapse of her process.
“I got to paint this at the request of David Frankel for ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ (it shows up in the movie),” Franklin wrote. “Absolutely no disrespect to Queen Meryl, but this is something I would’ve painted in my free time, so when they asked me to do this, it was nothing but fun.”
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Once audiences realized the image was human-made, reactions quickly shifted online. Many expressed surprise that something so closely resembling AI-generated aesthetics was actually crafted by an artist, sparking broader conversations about how digital illustration styles are increasingly being mistaken for AI.
Franklin also addressed questions about her technique, explaining that elements like softened edges and less-defined details are traditional illustration choices used to guide focus, not attempts to replicate AI.
The moment has fueled ongoing discussion about how audiences interpret visual media in the age of AI, where style alone can trigger assumptions about how something was made.
Box Office Update
Beyond the online conversation, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is also making major noise at the box office.
20th Century Studios/Disney’s sequel delivered a massive global debut of $233.6M worldwide, including a strong $77M domestic opening, which came in ahead of early projections. Internationally, the film led with $156.6M offshore, marking the second-best overseas start of the year behind Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
It’s also currently the second-best global opening of 2026, trailing only the Nintendo/Illumination release, and marks the biggest opening ever for both Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt.
The film dominated most international markets, landing at No. 1 across key territories including the UK, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Brazil. A few exceptions included France, Spain, parts of Scandinavia, and Japan—where it faced competition from Michael and Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Now in theaters, The Devil Wears Prada 2 returns to the world of Runway Magazine as Miranda Priestly and her team navigate a major public scandal that spirals into an online meme storm. Set against a shifting fashion and media landscape, the sequel explores reputation, power, and survival in the digital age.
The film reunites returning cast members including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Tracie Thoms, with new additions including Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Simone Ashley, B.J. Novak, Justin Theroux, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Bloom, Patrick Brammall, Conrad Ricamora, and Lady Gaga.