THE VIBE CHECK

What you need to know to be in the know

Box Office

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Just Strutted to an $80M Opening Weekend — and Everyone's Talking About Gaga's SoundtrackTRENDING

Miranda Priestly is back, and she brought receipts. The Devil Wears Prada 2 pulled in $32.5 million on opening day alone, tracking toward an $80M domestic debut and $175M globally. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt reunite in a sequel that's earned a 79% critics / 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes — and it's the kind of movie that makes everyone rewatch the original this weekend.

But the real flex might be the soundtrack: Lady Gaga dropped two original cuts — "Shape of a Woman" and "Glamorous Life" — alongside tracks from Dua Lipa, SZA, Miley Cyrus, Laufey, and RAYE. The soundtrack album landed with 13 tracks that range from power ballad to runway strut. Summer movie season is officially open.

Remarkably Bright Creatures Drops Thursday — BookTok Is Ready to SobTRENDING

The BookTok-beloved novel about a widow and a suspiciously perceptive octopus is finally a Netflix film, arriving May 8. Sally Field leads the cast with Lewis Pullman and Alfred Molina voicing Marcellus the octopus. Director Olivia Newman adapts Shelby Van Pelt's debut that spent 64 weeks on the NYT bestseller list. If you read it, you already know — this one's going to wreck people.

Beef Season 2 Is the #1 Show on Netflix Right NowTRENDING

Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan took over from Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, and it's working. The new season, set at a country club with Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton rounding out the ensemble, sits at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics say it's less focused than Season 1 but Spaeny's performance is "easily one of the best of the year." Eight episodes, all streaming now.

Devil May Cry S2, Spider-Noir, and Mother Mary: May's Stacked LineupNEW

Netflix's animated Devil May Cry Season 2 drops May 12 with Dante vs. Vergil finally front and center. Then on May 27, Nicolas Cage stars in Spider-Noir on Prime Video — a 1930s noir detective show with Brendan Gleeson, released in both black-and-white and color versions. Meanwhile, A24's Mother Mary is still in theaters with Anne Hathaway as a pop star, featuring an entire soundtrack written by Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff. 🎯

Good Omens S3 and Jack Ryan: Ghost War Close Out the Month

The final season of Good Omens arrives May 13 on Prime Video. And John Krasinski reprises Jack Ryan on May 20 for Ghost War, a new standalone entry. May is relentless.

Madonna × Sabrina Carpenter = "Bring Your Love," and Confessions II Is Coming July 3TRENDING

The Queen of Pop and pop's current It Girl officially teamed up. "Bring Your Love" dropped on April 30 as the lead single from Confessions II — Madonna's first album sequel, reuniting with producer Stuart Price for a 12-track nonstop dance mix. The track premiered live at Coachella and already hit #1 on iTunes in 34 countries. This is the kind of cross-generational pop moment that doesn't come around often.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Drop Dead" Debuted at #1 — Her Fourth Hot 100 TopperTRENDING

Rodrigo is the first artist to have the lead singles from her first three albums all debut at #1 on the Hot 100. "Drop Dead" is a synth-pop, power-pop hybrid about a first date, with a music video shot at Versailles. The new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, arrives June 12.

Kacey Musgraves Went Home — and "Middle of Nowhere" Is the ResultTRENDING

Her seventh album is a love letter to Golden, Texas — the small town she left, came back to, and can't quite quit. Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, Miranda Lambert, and Gregory Alan Isakov guest on a record that leans full classic country. It's the kind of album that makes you want to drive with the windows down even if you're in a city.

Zara Larsson's Girls Trip Is an All-Women Pop MasterclassTRENDING

Twenty tracks, all featuring women. Midnight Sun: Girls Trip remixes and expands Larsson's last album with collabs from PinkPantheress, Madison Beer, Shakira, Kehlani, Tyla, and Robyn. It's a pop buffet with a sharp feminist edge. 🎯

Michael Holds Strong in Week 2 Despite DWRP2 CompetitionTRENDING

Lionsgate's Michael biopic dropped just 48% in its second weekend, earning around $51M as Devil Wears Prada 2 took the #1 spot. The MJ film has now crossed $217M worldwide, making it the biggest biopic ever — despite that puzzling 35% critics score against a 94% audience rating. Audiences have decided this one's for them.

Mother Mary: Anne Hathaway Sings Charli XCX Songs in an A24 Fever DreamNEW

David Lowery's Mother Mary is an art-house curiosity — Hathaway plays a fictional pop star unraveling alongside Michaela Coel, performing seven original tracks written by Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, and FKA twigs. Critics are divided, the box office is modest ($2.2M against a $20M budget), but it's the kind of film that'll find its audience on streaming. 🎯

Looking Ahead: Mandalorian & Grogu, Mortal Kombat II, and The BackroomsTRENDING

Memorial Day weekend is loading: Mandalorian & Grogu is tracking $80M+, Mortal Kombat II brings the violence, and A24's The Backrooms adapts the internet's favorite liminal horror. May is going to be massive.

Met Gala Preview: "Fashion Is Art" Could Be the Wildest Dress Code YetTRENDING

Tomorrow's Met Gala theme is "Costume Art" — exploring fashion as an embodied art form. With Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams co-chairing, the host committee reading like an Avengers lineup (Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, LISA, Angela Bassett, A'ja Wilson), and a dress code this open-ended, expect the most maximalist red carpet in years.

The Consistency Flex: Gen Z Is Done with Micro-TrendsTRENDING

After years of whiplash trend cycles, Gen Z is settling into "uniform dressing" — boxy knits, workwear classics, vintage sportswear, and the same perfect outfit repeated. The new flex isn't novelty — it's knowing exactly what works for you and wearing it with confidence. Maximalism is still here, but it's intentional maximalism: chaotic layering over quiet luxury, Depop over fast fashion.

First-Time Homebuyers Are Now 40 Years Old on Average — An All-Time RecordTRENDING

The median first-time buyer age has hit 40, while the share of first-time buyers dropped to just 21% — well below the historical 40% norm. High rent, student debt, and childcare costs are forcing young adults into co-living and multigenerational housing. The silver lining: home prices may grow slower than wages for the first time since the financial crisis, but don't hold your breath.

China Just Made It Illegal to Fire Workers and Replace Them with AINEW

A Chinese court ruled that companies can't fire employees solely to replace them with AI to cut costs. The landmark ruling came after a tech worker was dismissed when an LLM took over his role. Meanwhile, in the US, the Department of Labor launched an AI Apprenticeship portal. Two very different approaches to the same problem.

YOUR PLAYLIST

3 TO BE COOL