Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘Cookie Queens’ Suffers Brutal Box Office Blow—Their New Film Was Just Beaten by Viral Cat Videos
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were hoping their latest Hollywood project would make a splash—but Cookie Queens has suffered an awkward opening-weekend defeat that has royal watchers and entertainment insiders talking.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have put their names behind a feel-good documentary about ambition, girlhood and the fiercely competitive world of Girl Scout cookie sales.
But when the numbers finally arrived, the result was anything but a royal triumph.
The film opened in theaters on August 7—and was beaten at the box office by a movie about internet cats.
Yes, really.
THE BOX OFFICE RESULT THAT CAUGHT EVERYONE OFF GUARD
Cookie Queens opened in 446 U.S. theaters and reportedly brought in approximately $327,797, placing it at No. 15 at the domestic box office.
That works out to roughly $735 per screen.
On its own, that figure might not sound catastrophic for a limited-release documentary.
But the comparison has created the headline nobody connected to the Sussexes’ project would have wanted.
Cookie Queens was outperformed by CatVideoFest 2026—a compilation of viral internet cat videos.
And the feline favorite did it with fewer screens.
THE CAT VIDEO COMPARISON IS REAL
CatVideoFest 2026 played in around 255 theaters yet reportedly earned approximately $569,414.
That means the cat compilation generated substantially more money overall while playing in nearly half as many locations.
Its per-screen average was also dramatically higher.
For Cookie Queens, the comparison is undeniably awkward.
A documentary backed by one of the world’s most recognizable royal couples had just been outperformed by funny cats.
The internet, predictably, noticed.
HARRY AND MEGHAN HAD HIGH HOPES FOR THE PROJECT
The documentary follows four young Girl Scouts as they compete to become top-selling “Cookie Queens” during the annual cookie-selling season.
The story explores ambition, friendship, competition and the pressures surrounding a business worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
For Meghan, the subject also has a personal connection.
The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about being a former Girl Scout and has highlighted the lessons she believes the organization can teach young people about confidence, business and resilience.
That made Cookie Queens an especially natural project for the Sussexes’ production company to support.
BUT THIS WASN’T A TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD RELEASE
There is an important detail behind the headlines.
Harry and Meghan are listed as executive producers on the film through Archewell Productions.
They are not the documentary’s principal producers.
The film was directed by Alysa Nahmias, with production involving AJNA Films and Beautiful Stories, among other companies.
So while the Sussex connection undoubtedly helped attract attention, the movie represents the work of a much larger filmmaking team.
THE FILM HAD ALREADY MADE A BIG IMPRESSION AT SUNDANCE
The awkward theatrical opening is particularly interesting because Cookie Queens did not arrive without pedigree.
The documentary premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival before securing a U.S. theatrical distribution deal with Roadside Attractions.
That gave the project an important platform long before it reached movie theaters.
The film also attracted attention because of its unusual subject.
Instead of celebrities or Hollywood scandals, it focuses on young girls navigating the intense six-week Girl Scout cookie season.
THEN CAME THE REVIEWS
Critical reaction has been mixed.
Some reviewers have praised the young subjects and the documentary’s uplifting message.
Others have questioned whether the film goes deeply enough into the wider issues surrounding Girl Scout cookie sales.
One major criticism has been that the documentary can sometimes feel closer to a reality-TV format than an intimate documentary.
That may have made it harder for the film to distinguish itself in a crowded summer movie market.
WHY DIDN’T AUDIENCES TURN UP?
That’s the question now hanging over the project.
The documentary was released in a relatively limited number of theaters rather than receiving a massive nationwide studio rollout.
That matters.
A $327,797 opening for a film playing hundreds of theaters does not necessarily tell the entire story of its eventual success.
Documentaries often have longer lives beyond their theatrical runs.
Streaming, digital rentals, television distribution and word-of-mouth can dramatically change the picture.
Still, the opening weekend is the first major public test.
And Cookie Queens didn’t exactly pass with flying colors.
THE TIMING MAY HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM
There’s another fascinating question.
Cookie Queens is built around Girl Scout cookie season—a cultural phenomenon that Americans associate strongly with a particular period of the year.
Yet the documentary arrived in theaters in August.
That’s well outside the traditional cookie-selling frenzy.
Some industry observers have suggested that a release closer to Girl Scout cookie season might have made the subject feel more immediately relevant.
Instead, audiences were asked to embrace cookie-season nostalgia during the middle of summer.
THE SUSSEXES’ NAMES BROUGHT ATTENTION—BUT WAS IT ENOUGH?
Few celebrity names generate the kind of instant attention that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can command.
Their involvement guaranteed headlines.
Their appearances promoting the project generated additional publicity.
And Meghan’s personal connection to the Girl Scouts gave the documentary a compelling promotional angle.
But there is a difference between generating headlines and selling movie tickets.
That distinction is now impossible to ignore.
THE AWKWARD PART FOR HARRY AND MEGHAN
For the Sussexes, the timing couldn’t be more uncomfortable.
Their Hollywood ambitions have been closely watched ever since they stepped away from senior royal duties and established their life in California.
Every new production is therefore judged against the question of whether the couple can build a lasting reputation in entertainment.
A disappointing theatrical opening inevitably adds fuel to that debate.
It doesn’t mean the project is a failure.
But it does mean the numbers have handed critics an easy punchline.
THE CAT VIDEOS MADE IT EVEN WORSE
Had Cookie Queens simply opened modestly, the story might have been much quieter.
Instead, the cat-video comparison transformed an ordinary limited-release result into a viral talking point.
The contrast is almost too perfect for tabloid headlines.
On one side:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
On the other:
Internet cats.
And the cats won.
BUT THE DOCUMENTARY HASN’T NECESSARILY LOST THE GAME
There is still another chapter to come.
A documentary’s theatrical opening is not necessarily its final commercial destination.
The film’s future could depend heavily on streaming interest, audience reception and how well it performs after its initial theatrical run.
A small opening can sometimes become the beginning of a longer life.
And Cookie Queens has one major advantage:
People are talking about it.
MEGHAN’S PERSONAL CONNECTION COULD KEEP INTEREST ALIVE
Meghan has actively promoted the project and discussed what she learned from Girl Scouts.
Her involvement has helped position the documentary as more than a simple film about cookies.
The project touches on themes she has repeatedly emphasized publicly—young women finding their voices, developing confidence and learning how to navigate ambition.
For Meghan, that message may ultimately matter more than the opening-weekend box-office ranking.
HARRY’S ROLE IS MORE BEHIND THE SCENES
Prince Harry has also been attached to the documentary as an executive producer.
But Meghan has been the more visible face of the promotional campaign.
That makes sense given her own connection to Girl Scouts and the subject matter.
It also means that much of the public conversation around the film has inevitably centered on Meghan rather than Harry.
THE BIGGER QUESTION FOR ARCHEWELL PRODUCTIONS
The box-office result raises a much broader question about Archewell Productions.
Can Harry and Meghan establish themselves as consistent entertainment producers rather than simply high-profile names attached to projects?
That will take more than one opening weekend to determine.
Their supporters will point to the film’s Sundance presence and the positive reactions it has received.
Critics will point to the modest theatrical numbers.
Both things can be true.
THIS ISN’T THE END OF THEIR HOLLYWOOD STORY
If anything, Cookie Queens demonstrates how complicated the Sussexes’ entertainment ambitions have become.
Their names can generate enormous media interest.
But converting that attention into sustained audience demand is a different challenge.
And Hollywood is notoriously unforgiving when the numbers arrive.
THE ROYAL CONNECTION REMAINS THE BIGGEST HOOK
There’s no escaping the obvious.
Without Harry and Meghan’s involvement, Cookie Queens would probably receive considerably less attention from royal watchers.
Their connection to the project is precisely what makes the box-office story so irresistible.
The documentary is about Girl Scout cookies.
The headlines are about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
And now, unfortunately for them, they’re also about cats.
THE FINAL VERDICT IS STILL A LONG WAY OFF
Calling Cookie Queens an outright flop based solely on its opening weekend would be premature.
The film has had a limited theatrical release.
Its eventual streaming and distribution performance could tell a very different story.
But there is no denying that the first numbers were disappointing.
And being beaten by CatVideoFest 2026 has made the result considerably harder to ignore.
A VERY AWKWARD START—OR JUST A BUMP IN THE ROAD?
For now, Harry and Meghan’s latest Hollywood venture has landed in an uncomfortable place.
The documentary received festival attention.
It has a meaningful subject.
It has a recognizable royal connection.
But at the box office, the opening weekend delivered a brutal reality check.
The Sussexes wanted audiences to fall for the Cookie Queens.
Instead, moviegoers apparently had other plans—and the cats came out on top.
Whether Cookie Queens eventually stages a comeback remains to be seen.
But one thing is already certain:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just been handed one of the strangest Hollywood headlines of their post-royal career.
