Cookie Queens documentary underperforms at box office

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest media venture, the documentary Cookie Queens, has underperformed significantly at the box office during its opening weekend, marking a professional setback for the couple’s production company, Archewell Productions. The film, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex executive produced, opened in U.S. theaters on August 7 and earned approximately $327,797 from 446 screens over its first three days, according to box office reports. This performance placed it 13th on the weekend charts, well behind a cat video compilation that finished in the top ten.

The documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, follows young Girl Scouts through a competitive cookie-selling season. Despite a promotional push led by Meghan Markle, which included special screenings and interviews, the film failed to attract a wide audience. Its per-screen average was roughly $735. In contrast, CatVideoFest 2026, a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos, earned about $568,414 on just 225 screens, securing the 10th spot. Another indie film, the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony, also outperformed Cookie Queens despite being shown on only six screens.