Hathaway joked that the movie became her first Disney classic and Andrews’ 27th. Her parents watched from the audience, alongside her husband, Adam Shulman, and their sons, Jonathan and Jack. She also confirmed, in a callback to the original film, that Shulman “makes her foot pop.” Some references apparently remain contractually immortal.
Her Disney résumé later expanded beyond Genovia. Hathaway played the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, adding two large-scale fantasy productions to a career often defined by Mia Thermopolis and Andy Sachs.
The Devil Wears Prada nearly chose someone else
Frankel told the D23 crowd that Hathaway was not initially the studio’s preferred choice for Andy Sachs. Meryl Streep, who played Runway editor Miranda Priestly, helped change that after seeing Hathaway in Brokeback Mountain.
“Thank God for Meryl Streep,” Frankel said. “She saw Annie’s performance in Brokeback Mountain and said, ‘Yeah, this girl.’ Game recognizes game.”
The original The Devil Wears Prada opened in 2006, not 2004, as some reports of the ceremony stated. The 2004 Hathaway sequel was The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Calendars remain stubborn about these matters.
Hathaway recalled working with Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt before pretending to forget Streep’s name. She returned as Andy in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has earned more than $690 million worldwide in 2026 and pushed the franchise beyond $1 billion globally.
Wintour praised Hathaway’s versatility, work ethic and kindness. She also described performing a comedy segment with her at the Oscars as being “a little like stepping onto the dance floor with Fred Astaire,” adding that Hathaway made the experience easy.
What Anne Hathaway’s $2 billion year actually means
Hathaway’s combined 2026 box-office total has crossed $2 billion, led by The Odyssey, which has grossed about $1.29 billion worldwide. The Devil Wears Prada 2 supplied another $690 million, while Mother Mary earned roughly $3 million.
Her dinosaur action film The End of Oak Street opened over the D23 weekend with an estimated $47 million globally. The Associated Press reported that the total comprised $21 million in North America and $26 million from international markets. Final weekend figures were still pending Monday morning.
The headline number is impressive, but aggregate box office does not mean every release has identical economics. The End of Oak Street reportedly cost $80 million to produce, so its opening left plenty of work for the following weeks. Critics responded more warmly than ticket buyers:
- The film held an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Audiences gave it a B CinemaScore.
- Just over half of surveyed PostTrak viewers said they would definitely recommend it.
Hathaway described the year as “overwhelming” and “a joy,” saying she understood how rare it was to appear in such a wide range of films within one season. Her fifth release, Verity, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s thriller, is scheduled for October 2 and is not part of the current total.
Princess Diaries 3 moves ahead without Julie Andrews
Hathaway made a surprise appearance at Disney’s Friday showcase to discuss Princess Diaries 3. The planned film is expected to continue the story after Royal Engagement rather than restart the franchise.
She previously told Andy Cohen that the screenplay had been restarted following a “story breakthrough.” Director Adele Lim has described the concept as wish fulfillment for queens rather than princesses, which suggests Mia’s royal workload has advanced along with the audience’s age.
One familiar figure is unlikely to return. Andrews told InStyle that she had declined to reprise Queen Clarisse, saying, “I think I’m retired,” and that the new film “wouldn’t need Granny.”
Before D23, Hathaway said audiences had carried The Princess Diaries far beyond its original release. Her mother still sends her photographs of fans holding themed engagement parties, she explained, and the film now feels larger than her own involvement in it.
“It truly is the privilege of my life to have been a part of something that has become a part of other people’s lives,” she said.
Who joined the Disney Legends class of 2026
Disney launched the Legends program in 1987 with actor Fred MacMurray as its first recipient. The company says the award has now recognized 329 people for contributions across film, television, animation, music, sports broadcasting and theme-park design.
Hathaway entered the 2026 class alongside 11 other honorees:
- Bob Iger
- Dwayne Johnson
- the Jonas Brothers
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Alan Tudyk
- Jerry Bruckheimer
- Chris Berman
- Eric Goldberg
- Kim Irvine
- Susan Egan
For Hathaway, the induction connected a 25-year Disney history with a year of unusually large commercial success. Her speech kept returning to luck, family and the collaborators who helped build that career. The box-office numbers offered the less sentimental version: audiences are still showing up.
