Meryl Streep admitted she was on the verge of retirement when she was offered David Frankel’s seminal workplace dramedy The Devil Wears Prada (2006). But realizing the film wouldn’t be possible without her casting, she decided to negotiate her pay. She went on to prove her worth as the film, made on a budget of $35 million, amassed $326 million globally.

One would then imagine that given all the expectations and business prospects riding on the recently released, long-awaited sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Meryl Streep’s pay would be in multiples of what she took home for the first part. However, that wasn’t exactly the case.…