Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wanted Cookie Queens to put a group of ambitious young Girl Scouts on the big screen. Instead, their first theatrical feature as executive producers was beaten at the box office during its opening weekend by 70 minutes of internet cat videos.
The Archewell Productions documentary opened in 446 theaters on August 7 and earned $354,262 during its first weekend, according to current figures from The Numbers. CatVideoFest 2026, a compilation of viral feline clips, brought in $568,414 despite opening in just 255 theaters.
Things did not look much better after a full week. Cookie Queens reached $513,148 domestically, while CatVideoFest had climbed to $656,628 over the same seven-day period.
Now, one royal commentator thinks Harry and Meghan need to do something dramatically different: go away for a while.
Kinsey Schofield told Page Six that she would advise the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to “disappear professionally for a little while” following their latest business setback. Her prescription involves fewer announcements, less publicity and putting their energy behind one project capable of succeeding on its own.
“Less talking, fewer announcements and more execution,” she advised.
Meghan Markle’s ‘Cookie Queens’ Passion Still Couldn’t Fill Theaters
The poor showing stings a little more considering Meghan’s personal connection to the project.
Cookie Queens follows four young Girl Scouts navigating the highly competitive world of cookie season. Meghan was herself a Girl Scout growing up in Los Angeles, with her mother serving as her troop leader. She also made a surprise appearance at Camp Arnaz in California ahead of the film’s theatrical release.
But some critics online questioned whether the idea was ever strong enough to support a theatrical movie.
“Whoever thought a movie about selling Girl Scout Cookies was a big success venture was out of their minds,” one person wrote.
Another went after Meghan’s growing catalog of brand and entertainment titles, asking, “Who comes up with these names for her projects? They suck. As Ever, Cookie Queens, With Love, Meghan.”
The harsh reaction does not mean Cookie Queens was universally disliked. Reviews ranged from mixed to positive, suggesting the bigger problem may have been convincing people to actually buy a ticket.
Schofield believes Harry and Meghan need to “pick a lane,” arguing that their future projects must be compelling enough to succeed without relying primarily on the couple’s royal fame.
For some online, even that prescription was too generous.
“I wish they’d disappear altogether,” one critic declared.
Harry and Meghan certainly still know how to generate attention. Their latest box-office numbers suggest turning that attention into paying customers may be the considerably harder trick.
This time, even the Sussex name could not beat internet cats.
