Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been told to “disappear professionally” for a while after their latest Hollywood project failed to make much of an impact at the box office.
The couple executive-produced the Girl Scout documentary Cookie Queens, but its opening weekend numbers were far from impressive.
One royal commentator believes the Sussexes now need to stop making so many announcements and focus on proving themselves through their work instead.
Highlights
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary Cookie Queens had a modest box office debut.
- One expert urged the couple to "disappear professionally" for a while and focus on delivering stronger projects instead of frequent announcements.
- The documentary's performance has reignited debate over whether the Sussexes can succeed with projects beyond their royal story.
“Less talking, fewer announcements and more execution,” Kinsey Schofield said, arguing that the couple's next move should be about rebuilding their reputation rather than creating another publicity moment.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest documentary failed to make a splash the couple may have hoped for
Harry and Markle’s latest project, Cookie Queens, was executive-produced through their company, Archewell Productions.
The film follows four Girl Scouts during the competitive cookie-selling season. It looks at their ambitions, leadership skills, and experiences as they try to become top sellers.
Directed by Alysa Nahmias, the documentary first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January before getting a theatrical release on August 7.
Markle has personally promoted the film before its release and explained why the project meant something to her.
She was a Girl Scout herself and said her mother had been her troop leader.
“As a former Girl Scout myself, with my mom as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film.”
She also praised the filmmakers and the way the documentary showed the Girl Scout cookie tradition.
“The glimpse behind-the-scenes into such a nostalgic and also modern tradition of Girl Scout Cookie season are absolutely irresistible.”
Once the documentary reached theaters, the numbers became a talking point
It earned roughly $328,000 to $354,000 during its opening weekend, depending on the box-office figures reported, and played in 446 theaters.
Boxoffice Pro reported an opening of about $735 per screen and placed the film at No. 15 for the weekend.
The documentary was also outperformed by CatVideoFest 2026, a 70-minute collection of viral cat videos that earned about $568,000 while playing in only 255 theaters.
The comparison quickly became an awkward one for the Sussexes.
An industry source told The Times of London, “This is by any measure a pretty pitiful return.”
However, Roadside Attractions has defended the film’s performance, saying it did well in specialty venues and multiplexes where Girl Scouts and former troop members helped bring in audiences.
The distributor said it was “encouraged by the response,” and believed the documentary had “a long life ahead as it continues to reach its many audiences.”
One royal commentator said the couple’s fame doesn’t automatically translate into paying audiences
Kinsey Schofield, host of Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, believes the reaction to Cookie Queens raises a bigger question about Harry and Markle’s commercial appeal.
But she believes attention alone isn’t enough. “Harry and Meghan remain extraordinarily effective at generating headlines, but headlines and paying customers are two very different things.”
According to Schofield, there was a time when attaching the couple’s names to a project created huge curiosity.
She isn’t convinced that is still the case.
“There was a period when simply attaching their names to something guaranteed enormous curiosity. I’m not convinced that’s true anymore.”
The commentator also pointed to the film’s comparison with the cat-video compilation
“There’s no getting around the optics of finishing five places behind a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos.”
She believes Markle’s personal promotion of Cookie Queens makes the opening numbers even more interesting.
“Meghan certainly has enormous name recognition, but I think at this stage it’s fair to ask how much of that is fame and how much is infamy.”
Schofield further said people may still click on stories about Markle because they are curious about her or strongly dislike her.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they will pay to watch something she helped produce.
“People may click on a Meghan Markle headline because they’re fascinated by her or irritated by her. That doesn’t mean they’re going to buy a movie ticket because her name is attached to the project.”
Harry and Markle’s biggest projects have often been connected to their royal-family story
The question about Harry and Markle’s commercial pull has followed them since they stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.
The couple quickly signed major entertainment deals and became the focus of enormous public interest.
Their 2022 Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, generated worldwide attention because it focused heavily on their relationship with the royal family and their decision to leave royal life.
Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, created another huge wave of headlines after he shared personal details about his experiences within the monarchy.
Royale expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes those projects remain the couple’s biggest attention-grabbers.
“We all know their huge hits were the three infamous betrayals of the royal family, on Oprah, the Netflix series ‘Harry & Meghan’ and Harry’s memoir ‘Spare.’”
He also pointed to the publicity that continues to follow everything they do.
But Fitzwilliams questioned whether audiences have shown the same level of interest in projects that don’t focus on the royal family.
“The world knows who they are, but isn’t curious enough to tune in and watch Meghan’s ghastly series ‘With Love, Meghan,’ their series on the Invictus Games, ‘Polo’ or, it seems, ‘Cookie Queens.’”
He also criticized Markle’s As Ever brand, saying its products, including jam, flower sprinkles, and scented candles, had become something of a joke.
Schofield further explained that Hollywood’s expectations have changed since Harry and Markle arrived in California
Schofield believes the couple’s position in Hollywood is different from what it was when they first arrived.
At that point, their decision to leave royal life was still fresh, and the public was fascinated by what they would do next.
“When Harry and Meghan first arrived in California, they were the story.”
But she believes that curiosity had faded. “Six years later, the novelty has diminished.”
That means the couple now face more ordinary questions about their work.
“What can you produce? What can you sell? Can you build an audience around something that isn’t royal drama?”
Schofield also warned that repeatedly announcing projects without producing enough finished work could eventually hurt their professional reputation.
“You cannot build a serious production reputation on press releases and announcements.”
For her, Cookie Queens matters because once a project is actually released, its performance becomes part of the couple’s professional record.
“When a project does reach audiences, its performance becomes part of the résumé.”
She added, “They’ve had the deals, resources and access. At this stage, tangible results matter.”
After years of headlines, business launches and entertainment projects, Schofield believes Harry and Markle should take a different approach
Schofield’s advice is blunt.
“I would tell them to disappear professionally for a little while, dramatically reduce the number of announcements, and identify one genuinely compelling project with experienced people around them who know how to execute it.”
She doesn't think another rebrand or publicity campaign would solve the problem.
Instead, she believes they need to produce something strong enough to change the conversation.
“Reputation recovery is possible, but I don’t think it comes from another rebrand or another glossy publicity campaign.”
Schofield also believes the couple should let experienced professionals take the lead rather than trying to control every part of their projects.
She said they should also look for stories unrelated to their conflict with the royal family.
“There are only so many times you can tell audiences why you left the royal family.”
For the commentator, the long-term goal should be proving that people are interested in Harry and Markle’s ideas even when their royal connections aren't the main attraction.
“If they want longevity in entertainment, they have to prove people are interested in their taste, ideas and storytelling when the monarchy isn’t the hook.”
That could be the biggest challenge facing the couple now.
They still have enormous name recognition, but Schofield believes they need to show that recognition can become something more than headlines.
As she put it, “Success is one of the most effective reputation-management strategies in Hollywood. Make something undeniable and suddenly the conversation changes.
"Yeah, but they're not professional at anything," wrote one viewer
