It’s not a Met Gala without Rihanna. The singer is basically as essential to the event as Anna Wintour herself, and the evening just doesn’t seem complete until she hits the red carpet. And while Rihanna arrived late, per usual, to the 2026 Met Gala, she didn’t deny us the drama for which she has become known, thank goodness.

Rihanna attended the Gala on Monday night in Maison Margiela Couture by Glenn Martens, inspired by a look from the designer’s fall/winter 2025 collection. Metallic fabric wrapped the singer’s legs in a column skirt before climbing up and encircling her upper torso, creating an opening to show off a jewel-encrusted turtleneck top. Diamond rings dotted her fingers while forty metal pin curls from Jennifer Behr covered her hair, mimicking the shape of the dress and adding an artful touch to the ensemble.

The best part about Rihanna’s Met Gala repertoire is that we never know what to expect. A silk, fur-lined coat? A pearl-covered pope? A deconstructed suit? Each year brings with it something different, and 2026 was no exception.

Of course, Rihanna was joined by her partner, A$AP Rocky, on the red carpet, and together, the two made for the most fashionable couple of the evening. For his part, Rocky wore a pink Chanel jacket-cum-house coat featuring a belt finished off with fringe and a feathered flower brooch. The pair’s looks were in no way coordinating, but they represented both of their respective styles, allowing each to shine in their own way.

We don’t know what Rihanna’s goals were for her look this evening, but perhaps she wanted to look “pretty,” like in 2019. Milliner Stephen Jones, who made Rihanna’s pope hat that year, asked the singer the simple question of how she wanted to look prior to the event. He recalled the moment recently to W. “She replied, 'Funny enough, nobody has asked me that,’” he said. Jones warned Rihanna of the hat’s weight, but the singer, always a pro, was unconcerned. “Have you seen the shoes?” she asked. “The hat is not the problem.” Tonight, then, must have been a breeze for her.

Beyoncé has returned to the Met Gala for the first time in 10 years, and boy, did she make the wait worth it. The co-chair arrived fashionably late to the event on Monday night, not only with her husband, Jay-Z, in tow, but also with her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, by her side.

And while, for the most part, the 2026 Met Gala red carpet lacked the drama one would expect to come from a “Costume Art” theme, Beyoncé made sure to bring it tenfold thanks to Olivier Rousteing. The singer attended in a jewel-encrusted dress mimicking a skeleton, depicting her collarbone, spine, hands, and hips, before continuing down her legs in a column skirt. On top, a coat of gray ombré feathers trailed many feet behind her, necessitating a team of attendants to help her walk the stairs. A spike cap, covered in more crystals, and Chopard jewelry completed this over-the-top ensemble.

On the red carpet, Beyoncé spoke about her decision to work with Rousteing on the design, describing the former Balmain designer as “someone who has been so loyal to me.” She said the look is about “celebrating him” as well as all the “juicy, curvy, thin, tall” bodies. “Whatever God gave you.”

And if Beyoncé brought the theatrics, it was up to Blue to bring the chic glamour. The 14-year-old opted for a much more toned-down ensemble for her Met debut, wearing a white Balenciaga dress with a bubble hem that picked up at the front to reveal crystal-covered Jimmy Choo heels finished off with quartz. A matching cropped puffer and sunglasses upped the cool factor. Jay-Z, smartly, let the women in his life shine, and wore a simple black Louis Vuitton tux with tails and a double-breasted vest, topped with a Briony Raymond brooch.

Now, it is pretty surprising that Blue is on the Met Gala red carpet, as the event famously is limited to those 18 and up. Of course, if the Met is going to make an exception, it would be for Beyoncé’s offspring. Though likely Blue will just walk the steps and then head home for the night, as her parents go on inside to enjoy the festivities.

The last time Beyoncé attended the Met Gala was back in 2016 for the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” themed event. She wore a latex dress by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, a designer and brand she’d worked with for five straight Met appearances. And while she opted to go in a different direction for the 2026 iteration, this look does have shades of the black and purple look Tisci designed for the singer back in 2012. Clearly, Beyoncé loves jewels and she loves feathers, and we can’t blame her.

Hunter Schafer is having an art-filled week. In Sunday’s episode of Euphoria, her character, Jules, recreated Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, turning the neo-impressionism masterpiece into a ghoulish scene too explicit for poor Lexie (Maude Apatow) or network television.

But on Monday, on a Met Gala red carpet filled with sheer and barely-there dresses, Schafer was one of the few attendees who opted for a more demure look. She also took the evening’s theme seriously, dressing like a figure straight out of art history.

Schafer arrived to the 2026 Met Gala in a custom Prada look inspired by Gustav Klimt’s 1912/1913 painting Mäda Primavesi. The portrait depicts the nine-year-old girl in a confident stance amid a colorful background, wearing a white dress by Klimt’s friend, couture designer Emilie Flöge, decorated with flowers. Appropriately, the painting is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Like Primavesi, Schafer wore an empire-waist gown with a line of rosettes just under the bust. While Primavesi’s dress ended just under the knee in layers of ruffles, however, Schafer’s reached the floor. Holes and tears along the waist and skirt made the dress look almost as if it were falling apart. Underneath the linen fabric emerged a floral silk chiffon fabric that continued into a long train behind the actor that draped the steps as she ascended. Schafer finished the look with a bow in her hair just like Primavesi, and a simple face of makeup—pink cheeks and blue eyeshadow—that matched the nine-year-old's own pre-war glam.

The result is Schafer as Primavesi all grown up. Or, like the actor discovered the old Emilie Flöge dress tucked away in an attic, filled with holes after years of gathering dust, and brought it to Prada to refurbish.

The theme on Monday night was Costume Art, and many attendees opened up their old art history textbooks to find references for the evening. Schafer wasn’t the only attendee to dress like a figure who stepped right off a canvas. Artist Amy Sherald tasked Thom Browne to dress her like the young woman from her 2014 painting, Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance). While others, like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, embodied the infamous John Singer Sargent subject, Madame X. As a result, the evening is truly an art nerd’s dream. Surely, Jules would have enjoyed the festivities greatly.

There’s only one event that boasts a guest list that includes Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Sabrina Carpenter, Lisa, and Zoë Kravitz: the Met Gala. They’re just a few of the A-list names expected to walk the red carpet for the 2026 event. The chair committee alone is enough to rival the red carpet at the Oscars. This year, the theme of the evening is “Costume Art,” an exploration of how the body and clothing are represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s vast collection. The dress code further clarifies red carpet expectations. Guests were asked to consider the idea that “Fashion is Art” when choosing their looks for the evening. Basically, tonight, the body is a canvas and designers are the artists bringing it to life.

So, expect a surplus of art-inspired ensembles, as well as looks that feature more skin than fabric. Naked dressing has been a popular choice at the Met for years now, and with the theme literally mentioning the body, it will no doubt also be prevalent tonight. At an event like the Met Gala, everyone is vying for attention, but it will be hard to get it with Beyoncé on the red carpet. It’s the singer’s first Met in over a decade, so all eyes are undoubtedly trained on Queen B, who is acting as a co-chair, alongside Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

Of course, the question is, what will Beyoncé wear? Will she opt for Saint Laurent, a sponsor of the event? Or, maybe she will tap Givenchy for the sixth time. Plus, will she take the opportunity of the night to announce her new album, as many people expect? This is the Met Gala, and anything can happen. You won’t want to miss a beat—not a heel, a headpiece, nor a bowtie. So, check back here for all of the celebrity red carpet looks from the 2026 Met Gala.

Beyoncé

In Olivier Rousteing with Chopard jewelry.

Rihanna

In Maison Margiela with jewelry from Briony Raymond and Dyne.

A$AP Rocky

In Chanel.

Rosé

In Saint Laurent with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Madonna

In Saint Laurent.

Kim Kardashian

In Allen Jones and Whitaker Malem.

Sabrina Carpenter

In Dior with Cartier jewelry.

Cardi B

In Marc Jacobs.

Doechii

In Marc Jacobs with David Webb jewelry.

Jennie

In Chanel.

SZA

In Bode.

Charli xcx

In Saint Laurent with David Yurman jewelry.

Lisa

In Robert Wun with Bulgari jewelry.

Teyana Taylor

In Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann.

Kylie Jenner

In Schiaparelli.

Jisoo

In Dior with Cartier jewelry.

Hailey Bieber

In Saint Laurent with Belperron jewelry.

Kendall Jenner

In Gap by Zac Posen with Buccellati jewelry.

Doja Cat

In Saint Laurent.

Zoë Kravitz

In Saint Laurent.

Margot Robbie

In Chanel.

Nicole Kidman

In Chanel.

Anne Hathaway

In Michael Kors Collection with Bulgari jewelry.

Hunter Schafer

In Prada.

Blue Ivy Carter

In Balenciaga with Henry & Henry jewelry.

Jay-Z

In Louis Vuitton with Briony Raymond jewelry.

Amanda Seyfried

In Prada with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Blake Lively

In Versace with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Julianne Moore

In Bottega Veneta with Messika jewelry.

Sombr

In Valentino.

Gigi Hadid

In Miu Miu with Jessica McCormack jewelry.

Odessa A'zion

In Valentino with Pandora jewelry.

Colman Domingo

In Valentino with an Omega watch and Boucheron jewelry.

Kate Moss

In Saint Laurent.

Carey Mulligan

In Prada with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Katy Perry

In Stella McCartney with a Miodrag Guberinic headpiece.

Ayo Edebiri

In Chanel.

Laufey

In Tory Burch and Bucherer jewelry.

Tyla

In Valentino.

Venus Williams

In Swarovski.

Gracie Abrams

In Chanel.

Angela Bassett

In Prabal Gurung.

Claire Foy

In Erdem.

Emily Blunt

In Ashi Studios with Mikimoto jewelry.

Tate McRae

In Ludovic de Saint Sernin and The Back Vault jewelry.

Chase Infiniti

In Thom Browne with Marli jewelry.

Naomi Osaka

In Robert Wun with Lagos jewelry.

Irina Shayk

In Alexander Wang.

Tyriq Withers

In Louis Vuitton with David Yurman jewelry and a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch.

Serena Williams

In Marc Jacobs with David Yurman jewelry and an Audemars Piguet watch. .

Camila Morrone

In Tory Burch with David Yurman jewelry.

Suki Waterhouse

In Michael Kors Collection and Boucheron jewelry.

María Zardoya

In Matières Fécales with Pandora jewelry.

Sarah Paulson

In Matières Fécales with Boucheron jewelry.

Alyssa Liu

In Louis Vuitton with Pasquale Bruni jewelry.

Sarah Pidgeon

In Loewe.

Paul Anthony Kelly

In Dior with a Vacheron Constantin watch.

Bill Skarsgård

In Thom Browne.

Olivia Wilde

In Thom Browne.

Damson Idris

In Prada.

Gwendoline Christie

In Giles Deacon.

Hoyeon

In Louis Vuitton.

Ciara

Kris Jenner

In Dolce & Gabbana.

Romeo Beckham

In Burberry with De Beers London jewelry.

Tom Sturridge and Alexa Chung

Sturridge is in Simone Rocha. Chung is in Dior.

Hudson Williams

In Balenciaga with Bulgari jewelry.

Connor Storrie

In Saint Laurent with Tiffany & Co. jewelry and an Omega watch.

Cara Delevingne

In Ralph Lauren with De Beers London jewelry.

Stevie Nicks

In Zara by John Galliano with a Stephen Jones hat and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Sam Smith

In Christian Cowan.

Bad Bunny

In Zara.

Gabrielle Union-Wade

In Michael Kors Collection with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Dwyane Wade

In Michael Kors Collection and Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Rauw Alejandro

In Saint Laurent with Chopard jewelry.

Ningning

In Gucci.

Maude Apatow

In Valentino with Brilliant Earth jewelry.

Ben Platt

In Tanner Fletcher.

Lena Dunham

In Valentino.

Ejae

In Swarovski.

Maluma

In Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann with Bulgari jewelry.

Nia Long

Troye Sivan

In Prada with Pandora jewelry.

Rebecca Hall and Morgan Spector

Hall is in Tom Ford by Haider Ackerman with Gabriel & Co. jewelry. Spector is in Tom Ford by Haider Ackerman with an IWC watch.

Lily-Rose Depp

In Chanel.

Naomi Watts

In Dior with Briony Raymond jewelry.

Patrick Schwarzenegger

In Public School with David Yurman jewelry.

Paloma Elsesser

In Bureau of Imagination by Francesco Risso.

Bhavitha Mandava and Awar Odhiang

In Chanel.

Cher

In Burberry.

Alex Consani

In Gucci.

Liline Jacquemus and Simon Porte Jacquemus

In Jacquemus.

Keke Palmer

Sunday Rose Kidman Urban

In Dior.

Danny Ramirez

In Michael Kors Collection with Cartier jewelry.

Adut Akech

In Thom Browne.

Camila Mendes

In Manish Malhotra.

Janelle Monáe

In Christian Siriano with Rainbow K jewelry.

Amelia Gray

In Saint Laurent with Chopard jewelry.

Yseult

In Harris Reed with Chopard jewelry.

Nicholas Hoult

In Prada with a Vacheron Constantin watch and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Coco Jones

In Prabal Gurung.

Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste

Batiste in ERL with Cartier jewelry.

Ludovic De Saint Sernin and Ivy Getty

In Ludovic De Saint Sernin.

Emma Chamberlain

In Mugler with Chopard jewelry.

Angel Reese

In Altuzarra with Smiling Rocks jewelry.

Jesse Jo Stark

In Burberry.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

In Burberry with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Louisa Jacobson

In Dilara Findikoglu.

Lila Moss

In Conner Ives.

Rachel Sennott

In Marc Jacobs.

Grace Gummer

In Gabriela Hearst.

Chase Sui Wonders

In McQueen with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Rami Malek

In Cartier jewelry.

Laura Harrier

In Di Petsa with jewelry from Briony Raymond and Isabel Delgado.

Jaafar Jackson

In Polo Ralph Lauren.

Ashley Graham

In De Petsa with Zales jewelry.

Rachel Zegler

In Prabal Gurung.

Law Roach

In Ami.

Ayesha Curry and Stephen Curry

In Balenciaga with Cartier jewelry.

Maya Hawke

In Prada.

Audrey Nuna

Babyface

In LaQuan Smith.

Simone Ashley

In De Beers London jewelry.

Sam Pinkleton

In Tanner Fletcher.

Misty Copeland

In Michael Kors Collection with Effy jewelry.

Daisy Edgar-Jones

In McQueen with Boucheron jewelry.

Tessa Thompson

In Valentino with Pandora jewelry.

Joey King

In Miu Miu.

Russell Westbrook

In Gap by Zac Posen.

Skepta

In Thom Browne with a Audemars Piguet watch.

Dree Hemingway

In Valentino couture with Pandora jewelry.

Joe Alwyn

In Valentino.

Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow

Huma Abedin

In Prabal Gurung with Briony Raymond jewelry.

Vittoria Ceretti

In Carolina Herrera.

Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral and Marcello Hernández

Hernández in Thom Browne.

Grace Ling

In Grace Ling.

Jordan Roth

In Robert Wun.

Lindsey Vonn

In Thom Browne.

Donatella Versace and Alessandro Michele

Adwoa Aboah

In Simone Rocha with jewelry from Sauer and Nikos Koulis.

Lauren Wasser

In Prabal Gurung with jewelry by Megan Piccione.

Amy Sherald

In Thom Browne with an Esenshel headpiece.

Tschabalala Self

In Brandon Blackwood.

Selby Drummond

In Conner Ives.

Sabine Getty

In AdaLioryn jewelry.

Audrey Nuna

In Robert Wun.

Imaan Hammam

In Saint Laurent.

Yumi Shin and Joseph Altuzarra

Altuzarra in Altuzarra.

Felicity Blunt and Stanley Tucci

In Etro.

Elizabeth Debicki

In Vera Wang.

Heidi Klum

In Mike Marino.

Alexi Ashe and Seth Meyers

Meyers in Gabriela Hearst.

Anok Yai

Balenciaga

Ahn Hyo-Seop

In Valentino.

Anderson .Paak

In Amiri with Cartier jewelry and an Audemars Piguet watch.

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor

Taylor in Bibhu Mohapatra.

Finn Wolfhard

In Thom Browne and a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch.

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin

In Prada.

Anna Weyant

In Marc Jacobs.

Tom Ford

Jack Harlow

In Torishéju.

Lauren Hashian and Dwayne Johnson

In Thom Browne.

Tory Burch

In Tory Burch.

Greta Gerwig and Stella McCartney

Gerwig is in Effy jewelry.

Isla Johnston

In Loewe.

Lux Pascal

In Cult Gaia.

Luke Evans

In Palomo.

Charlotte Gainsbourg

In Saint Laurent.

Cai Xukun

In Thom Browne.

Liu Wen

In Michael Kors Collection and Chopard jewelry.

Sutton Foster

In Fred Leighton jewelry.

Georgina Chapman

Russell Wilson

In Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses.

John Lithgow and Mary Yeager

Lithgow in Gabriela Hearst.

Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr

In Dior

Jeremy Pope

In Vivienne Westwood.

Anja Rubik

In Boucheron jewelry.

Joe Burrow

In Cartier jewelry.

Miles Chamley-Watson

Georgina Rodríguez

In Ludovic de Saint Sernin with Chopard jewelry.

Jimmy Butler

In Alo.

Amy Fine Collins

Jasmine Tookes

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez

In Loewe.

Loli Bahia

In Saint Laurent.

Hamish Bowles

Aurora James

In vintage Emanuel Ungaro with Ana Khouri jewelry.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin

In Valentino.

Dasha Zhukova

In Prada.

Anna Wintour

In Chanel.

Adrien Brody

In Dior.

Karlie Kloss

In Dior with Cartier jewelry.

Chloe Malle

In Colleen Allen.

Lala Anthony

In Wiederhoeft and Lorraine Schwartz.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos

In Schiaparelli with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Bee Carrozzini

In jewelry from Briony Raymond and Jenna Blake.

Wendi Murdoch

I should start by saying that I am a hater. I am one of those people who spent the entirety of watching Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights pointing out every deviation from the book (though that film has issues beyond its extreme creative liberties—see: a hater). They say acceptance is the first step, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I want to change. I like being a hater. I like, for instance, watching The Devil Wears Prada 2 with a healthy dose of skepticism.

For the record: I liked DWP2. It’s cute, the cast is great, and I would happily watch a million hours of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci as a dynamic duo running a fashion magazine. It’s an enjoyable two hours that continues a beloved story while situating it within the current realities of the media industry. Still, I suspect much of the praise is driven by nostalgia—a force very good at clouding judgment. If it were a one-off film, with all new characters and a different fictional magazine, it would likely be dismissed as boring and unevenly written—because, in my opinion, it is. That may sound odd for a movie packed with high-profile cameos, sparkly costumes, and fun montages. But look past all the glitter that’s distracting from the storyline, and you realize that, for the most part, very little actually happens.

At the height of the film, in Andy’s bid to save Runway from utter demise, she sits in a hotel room all day—albeit in a great vintage Björk shirt—and does not much more than make phone calls. Sure, there was a sense of urgency to it all but nevertheless I found my mind wandering. Here, just some of the thoughts that popped up.

Why are we spending so much time on this Aussie?

One of the major side plots of the film revolves around Andy Sachs and her new love interest, Colin a real estate contractor portrayed by Australian actor Patrick Brammall. He’s nice enough, and they seem like a good match, but when have we ever cared about Andy’s love life? Perhaps there was some conversation in the writers' room about finding a good man for Andy after Adrian Grenier’s character was sufficiently rebuked over the past two decades as the true villain of The Devil Wears Prada. Or maybe they wanted to recreate the chemistry between Andy and her one-night fling, Christian (Simon Baker), from the first film. But this relationship does nothing to further the story nor push any character growth forward. I think I can safely say no one is going to the theater to see Andy fall in love. This is a career film, and too many minutes were wasted on the new guy.

Leave the finance bros at home, please.

I had heard from colleagues that the film is very insidery; I assumed they meant it dove into the intricacies of the media industry. It does, but what I didn’t expect was that the consultants, venture capitalists, and private equity associates would be invited into the circle as well. There are multiple scenes of meetings around how to make Runway more profitable, and while they are done with a touch of satirization, it is not enough to make them interesting in any way. Every time BJ Novak’s character came on screen, I let out a groan because I knew the entertainment would cease for the next few minutes. I get it. They had to set up the stakes. The magazine is being sold off and gutted, but do we really need to talk about it over and over again? I can only watch Andy sputter on-screen so many times.

The film’s marketing and its thesis are in direct contradiction with each other.

To be fair, I did find parts of this storyline to be accurate. As someone who has been in the media industry for close to a decade, I’ve somehow dodged lay-offs while seeing them destroy good writers and even better publications on a frighteningly consistent basis. Never did I think this would be interesting fodder for a movie, but I do appreciate that DWP2 didn’t shy away from the realities of the industry as it stands. A sequel where Runway is thriving probably would have left me even more perturbed upon leaving the theater. Still, there was something hypocritical about the movie's entire thesis. Andy wants to save Runway, whether that's because she thinks it’s the last job in the industry where she can make a living wage or because she believes this cultural institution and arbiter of taste deserves to live on. But the distinction is largely irrelevant, muddled by the film’s own plot. She continually describes things as “everything that is wrong with the world,” including, at one point, a glamorous 75th birthday for the Elias Clarke CEO filled with her Runway colleagues. Are we supposed to agree with Andy? Or, do we take the side of Miranda and Nigel, who are adamant in their belief that Runway, its legacy, and its survival are paramount to the overall endurance of beauty and artistry? Perhaps a little bit of column A and column B—but anyone who believes in column B likely watched the movie’s press tour with the skeptical, side-eye emoji hanging over their head. Didn’t this film do exactly what it claims to be against: sell itself out, strip itself down to the simplest form, and hawk, not only tickets, but every branded product imaginable?

Did I just watch an ad or a movie?

When The Devil Wears Prada was in production more than twenty years ago, the fashion industry wouldn’t touch it. Here was a film blasting the most powerful woman in fashion, and brands wisely didn’t want anything to do with it. Costume designer Patricia Field had to work magic to clothe the cast when labels refused to lend clothes in fear of Anna Wintour’s wrath. This time around, Wintour was on board to such an extreme degree that she was reportedly on set, giving notes herself. Luxury labels, similarly, did a 180, securing key placelements in the film. Dior and Dolce & Gabbana are critical to the plot, while other brands are name-dropped with aplomb, and one can’t help but think there was a paycheck behind each mention. And while Jeff Bezos gets skewered in the film, portrayed by a goofy and gauche Justin Theroux, it clearly did nothing to compromise he and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos serving as honorary co-chairs of the 2026 Met Gala—Wintour’s annual crowning achievement.

In the first movie, Andy is a girl who wants to get into “real journalism,” who sees Runway simply as peddlers of luxury goods to people who don’t need them. There is a moment where we see that she still believes this 20 years later, specifically when talking to Emily about the $3,000 handbags Dior sells. The film makes the point that fashion magazines are more than that, but what about movies about fashion magazines? For the past few weeks, everywhere one has turned, there has been the red stiletto. Diet Coke cans, Grey Goose vodka, L’Oreal makeup, Target lines all plastered with the DWP2 logo. Would Andy approve? Would Miranda? I think not.

There’s a scene near the beginning of the movie, just after Andy gets rehired at Runway, when they go to visit Emily at Dior to discuss the brand’s advertising with the magazine. Andy learns the new lay of the land: Dior pays for the ads, ads pay for the magazine, so Emily is in a position of power. Andy is aghast, so maybe she can relate to how I felt every time a Starbucks cup was flashed before the camera or a brand was name-dropped in the film. While Andy pleads for the maintenance of integrity in the sequel, it feels like it left the building before the title card was even projected on screen.

Did we really need a sequel?

When I left the screening, I asked myself, “What was the point?” The story was told—and told well—with the first film. Why did we need a second? Then, I looked around: I was at a L’Oreal Paris-sponsored first look at the movie, one night before its wide release (yes, I can see how you might think I'm part of the problem). Standing there, in a sea of branded content, I was reminded that the point was, of course, to make money. And with a projected $180 million in global box office for its opening weekend, it will certainly succeed in keeping a struggling Hollywood afloat for at least another day.