There’s a very big tent set up on the plaza at Lincoln Center. Like, the biggest ever.
That’s where Disney will launch “The Devil Wears Prada 2” tonight.
The studio is spending millions, treating this release as if it were a Marvel movie, and Meryl Steep was playing Iron Man.
They’re actually ponying up for a livestream of the red carpet on Disney Plus, which you know will include insipid announcers asking, What are you wearing?
One reason for all this fanfare: Disney has no other movie for adults right now. And they see potential in the sequel to the 20 year old comedy.
Tonight’s guest list will include the cast — Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci. There will surely be other celebrities drawn from the fashion world. Among those attending is Anna Wintour of Vogue magazine, previously the butt of the original movie’s joke. Now she’s in on the joke, promoting the film.
No reviewers have seen “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which has been done intentionally. Critics won’t see the movie until a week from today, and even then reviews are embargoed until the last minute — next Wednesday, 36 hours before “previews.”
Who will be there tonight are social media influencers. The studio pays agencies to find them people with large followings on TikTok, Instagram, and so on whom they can treat like A listers. More and more influencers are turning up on red carpets and in the pictures taken on red carpets. You’ve never heard of them, but the studios know them.
There’s a plan afoot here. Tonight, the “social media embargo” is lifted for “Prada 2.” This means that Twitter and every platform will be flooded with breathless takes on the movie from those very same bloggers and posters. Many will exclaim that the movie is “the GOAT,” the best comedy they’ve ever seen, etc. There will be a lot of talk about the costumes, and fashion, but not a lot about the actual film.
The social media attack will mitigate any middling reviews the film will get next Wednesday. Even if the Rotten Tomatoes score is — let’s say — a moderate 79%, the fix will already be in. The studio will have plenty of enthusiastic quotes for ads. The idea is it won’t matter what film critics have to say about “Prada 2.” The foundation will have bene laid for success. Already the social influencers are predicting a “$90 million first weekend” for the film. A “Prada 3” seems inevitable.
Already in fact you can type the words “devil wears prada” into Instagram to find gushing posts from influencers. They’re literally doing the leg work of publicists. And this isn’t just for this movie. It’s now for everything.
Disney, by the way, is sponsoring all kinds of “private screenings” around the country at the end of the week. They also held competitions for fans to bid on tickets to tonight’s premiere. Between the contest winners and the influencers, the red carpet sounds like it will be a you-know-what.
Me, I’m going to see Bruce Springsteen in Newark. No one will be asking me what I’m wearing, trust me.
