A viral cat video reportedly outdrew the latest project tied to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the box office. The Archewell-produced series “Cookie Queens” from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was expected to be a cozy hit. The show follows home bakers as they build small cookie businesses, celebrating community, entrepreneurship, and feel-good storytelling.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary, Cookie Queens, suffers a defeat at the box office
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing another setback as “Cookie Queens” struggled to find a considerable audience in its opening weekend. The non-working royals executive-produced the documentary about Girl Scout cookie sales. The Duchess took center stage in the promotion, but it didn’t translate into ticket sales.
“Cookie Queens” premiered in theaters on August 7 and landed at No. 13 for the weekend. It earned $327,797 across 446 screens, averaging $734 per theater. However, it was outpaced by CatVideoFest2026, a 70-minute reel of the year’s top cat videos.
The compilation took 10th place on just 225 screens, pulling in $568,414 with a much stronger $2,229 per-screen average, per RadarOnline.com.
Ahead of the theatrical release, Meghan Markle mounted an aggressive press push. She attended special screenings and did wide-ranging interviews with outlets supportive of the Sussexes, leaning heavily on stories about her own Girl Scout days.
The “Suits” alum also appeared in a viral clip with director Alysa Nahmias and the three Scouts featured in the film. She talked about her family’s favorite Girl Scout cookies and helped the girls brainstorm a new cookie flavor.
Even with their first-look Netflix deal, the streamer passed on “Cookie Queens.” The Sussex pair premiered it at Sundance in Park City, where Markle walked the carpet and gave the opening remarks.
The 45-year-old gushed that Thin Mints were her go-to, and added that her husband was into the shortbreads and “loves the Samoas.” The film, however, left the festival without a distribution deal. Roadside Attractions finally picked up the film in March and set a summer theatrical release.
