The more striking detail, however, is what happened alongside it. Cookie Queens was beaten by CatVideoFest 2026, a 70-minute compilation of viral cat videos that played in substantially fewer theaters. The cat-video film brought in roughly $568,000, despite screening on only 255 screens compared with Cookie Queens’ 446.

For a project carrying the names of two of the world’s most recognizable royals, the result is difficult to ignore. Harry and Meghan served as executive producers on the 91-minute documentary, which follows four Girl Scouts competing to become top cookie sellers. Meghan had previously spoken warmly about the project, describing her personal connection to Girl Scouts and praising the filmmakers’ approach to the tradition of cookie season.

The film itself had not been without positive attention. Cookie Queens premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival before receiving its theatrical release, and its reception among critics was considerably more encouraging than its opening-weekend numbers might suggest. The film’s distributor, Roadside Attractions, has also pushed back against the idea that the opening represents its ultimate prospects, saying it performed well with specialty audiences and Girl Scouts and former troop members.

Still, the timing has become one of the biggest questions surrounding the film. Industry observers have pointed out that a documentary built around Girl Scout cookie season may have benefited from being released when the cookie-selling tradition was already dominating public attention. Instead, the film arrived in August, months removed from the period when the subject naturally generates the most cultural buzz.

The disappointing theatrical result also places renewed attention on Archewell Productions’ broader media ambitions. Harry and Meghan’s production company scored its biggest success with the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, but subsequent projects have faced a much more complicated reception. Cookie Queens therefore arrives at a particularly important moment as the couple continues trying to establish themselves as producers rather than simply subjects of entertainment coverage.

Yet there is another twist to the story: the box-office numbers may not tell the entire story. Documentary audiences increasingly discover films through streaming and specialty platforms rather than traditional theatrical releases, meaning a modest cinema opening does not necessarily determine a project’s long-term reach. The question now is whether Cookie Queens can find the audience that failed to turn up in large numbers during its opening weekend.

For Harry and Meghan, however, the symbolism of the weekend may prove harder to escape than the numbers themselves. Their first theatrical documentary arrived with royal recognition, a Sundance premiere and a major production banner behind it — only to find itself overshadowed by a movie built around internet cats.

And behind that surprising box-office result lies the bigger mystery: was Cookie Queens simply released at the wrong moment, or is Hollywood beginning to reveal that the Sussexes’ star power no longer guarantees an audience?