Harry and Meghan Latest News: For Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the latest challenge is not another royal family dispute but a question that Hollywood often answers with numbers: can a famous name turn attention into paying audiences? Their documentary Cookie Queens arrived in US cinemas with the backing of their Archewell Productions banner, but its opening weekend has raised fresh questions about the couple’s entertainment strategy.
The documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, opened in US theatres on August 7, 2026. The film had previously generated attention at the Sundance Film Festival and later secured US distribution through Roadside Attractions. It follows Girl Scouts navigating the competitive cookie-selling season and explores ambition, business and the experience of growing up.
But the film’s theatrical performance has become the main talking point.
Cookie Queens reportedly collected about $327,797 from 446 theatres during its opening weekend, giving it an average of roughly $735 per location. The documentary also failed to keep pace with CatVideoFest 2026, a compilation of viral cat videos that earned around $569,000 from only 255 theatres.
Harry and Meghan Latest News: Sundance Buzz Did Not Translate Into a Strong Opening
The film entered the market with a much more positive story behind it.
Cookie Queens premiered at Sundance in January, where it received strong attention. Meghan and Harry attended the premiere, with Meghan introducing the documentary and discussing its focus on girlhood, ambition and the pressures faced by young women. Sundance described the film as a story connecting Girl Scout cookie sales with business and girlhood.
Roadside Attractions later acquired the film’s US distribution rights following its Sundance premiere. The deal gave the documentary a theatrical route, with the distributor planning a summer release.
The film has also received generally positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes lists reviews describing it as an accessible documentary about girlhood, ambition and the pressures surrounding the Girl Scout cookie business.
Yet positive festival reactions did not automatically produce a large theatrical audience.
Harry and Meghan Latest News: Cat Videos Outperform the Sussexes-Backed Documentary
The comparison with CatVideoFest 2026 has given the film’s weak opening additional attention.
The cat-video compilation played in substantially fewer theatres but generated a higher total and a much stronger per-screen average. CatVideoFest earned about $568,414 from 255 locations, averaging more than $2,200 per screen, while Cookie Queens averaged around $735.
That result has shifted the discussion from the documentary itself to the Sussexes’ wider position in Hollywood.
The couple have continued to pursue entertainment projects since leaving their senior royal roles in 2020. Their work has included Netflix productions, Meghan’s podcast venture and other media projects, producing a mixed professional record.
Harry and Meghan Latest News: Royal Commentator Gives Harry and Meghan Direct Advice
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield believes the latest setback should encourage Harry and Meghan to change their approach rather than respond with another publicity campaign.
“If I had the opportunity, I would tell them to disappear professionally for a period of time, dramatically reduce the number of announcements and press releases, and identify one project that genuinely generates interest, surrounded by experienced professionals who know how to execute it,” she told Page Six.
Schofield argued that the couple should allow the quality of their work to generate attention instead of relying heavily on their public profiles.
“Reputations can be repaired, but I don’t think it will happen through another rebrand or another glossy PR campaign, so I would recommend the opposite. Less talking, fewer announcements and more doing. Success is one of the most effective reputation-management strategies in Hollywood. Create something people cannot ignore, and suddenly the conversation changes.”
Harry and Meghan Latest News: Too Many Projects Could Be Diluting Their Brand
Schofield also pointed to what she sees as a broader problem with the Sussexes’ professional strategy.
“When you try to establish authority in every field simultaneously, you can end up establishing authority in none of them,” she said.
She believes the couple would benefit from choosing one area of entertainment and building a stronger track record there.
“Choose one area, become good at it and allow success to rebuild your credibility. They need to stop treating their fame and status as the product and start creating products strong enough to succeed without their fame and status.”
The advice comes as the couple continue to work across different areas of media, business and entertainment. Their challenge, according to the commentator, is to make audiences interested in the work itself rather than simply the people attached to it.
Harry and Meghan Latest News: Focus Away From Royal Family Disputes
Schofield also urged Harry and Meghan to reduce their focus on their continuing differences with the royal family.
She believes projects that stand independently from royal controversies could help them develop a more sustainable entertainment identity.
“There are only so many times you can tell the public why you left the royal family,” she said.
“If they want a long-term career in entertainment, they need to prove that people are interested in their taste, their ideas and the stories they tell even when the monarchy is not the focus.”
Harry and Meghan Latest News: What Comes Next for Harry and Meghan?
The Cookie Queens performance does not by itself determine the future of Harry and Meghan’s entertainment ambitions. The documentary received strong festival attention and continues to have a life beyond its initial theatrical run. Its official filmmakers also list a long festival programme following Sundance, including SXSW and several other film festivals.
However, the box-office numbers have created another difficult headline for a couple whose celebrity remains enormous but whose entertainment projects have not always matched that level of attention.
For Harry and Meghan, the next phase may therefore depend less on making more announcements and more on producing a project that can attract audiences on its own merits.
