Cat Videos Outearn Sussexes’ First Film in Box-Office Upset

Cookie Queens, the Girl Scout documentary executive-produced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle through their Archewell Productions banner, collapsed at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend.

It earned just $327,797 across 446 theaters and failed to crack the Top 10. The result marked a notable embarrassment for the couple: the film was beaten at the box office by CatVideoFest 2026, a 70-minute compilation of fan-submitted cat videos that earned more money in fewer theaters.

Box Office Disaster

The film opened on August 7, 2026, averaging roughly $735 per screen. That figure landed Cookie Queens at No. 13 on the weekend chart.

CatVideoFest 2026, by contrast, pulled in $568,414 from just 255 theaters — a 73% higher gross with 43% fewer locations.

One industry source quoted by The Times summed up the disparity plainly: “Not taking the good name of the world’s No. 1 cat video festival in vain, this is by any measure a pretty pitiful return.”

The underperformance of a documentary with built-in audience goodwill among the Girl Scouts community, a Sundance premiere, and a late-July screening attended by Meghan, makes the result harder to spin as a distribution problem alone.

Archewell’s First Theatrical Film

Cookie Queens is described as the first film from Archewell Productions, the Sussexes’ Los-Angeles-based content company. It was directed by Alysa Nahmias.

Archewell partnered with Beautiful Stories and AJNA Films on the project. Roadside Attractions handled distribution.

The film follows girls involved with Girl Scouts of USA as they sell cookies and learn about friendship, perseverance, entrepreneurship and self-belief.

The subject has a personal connection for Meghan, who has spoken about being a Girl Scout herself while her mother, Doria Ragland, served as a troop leader.

She attended a late-July screening and joined Harry at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to help promote the project. Neither Harry nor Meghan appears in the documentary.

Meghan, speaking about the values depicted in the film, said: “I think the value of friendship, of being dedicated to a goal, as you can see that in Cookie Queens, it’s so reflective of how these girls stick with something that’s important to them and don’t give up.”

She added: “Self-belief is an integral value that comes with being a Girl Scout.”

Mixed Reception

Roadside Attractions, the film’s distributor, struck an upbeat tone despite the numbers. A spokesperson said: “We’re encouraged by the response and believe the film has a long life ahead as it continues to reach its many audiences.”

The company pointed to engagement from groups of current and former Girl Scouts as evidence of potential legs beyond the theatrical opening.

Critical reception, however, has been mixed at best. Variety reviewed the film negatively, calling it “too much of a reality-show ramble.”

The opening arrives at an awkward moment for the Sussexes’ entertainment ambitions. It marks the latest in a string of Hollywood setbacks for the couple.

For a first theatrical film positioned around a beloved American institution and a cause close to one of its executive producers, being outdrawn by an hour of cat clips is the kind of headline Archewell did not need.

Sources

• Jubileecast