Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary Cookie Queens has flopped at the box office after its opening weekend in select American cinemas. The film, produced under their Archewell Productions company, did not make the Top Ten releases and was beaten by a compilation of cat videos.
PR Expert Weighs In
PR expert Mayah Riaz told the Mirror that the niche subject matter and limited US release could be contributing factors. She said: "I would be careful about viewing the box office result as a straightforward verdict on Harry and Meghan themselves. Cookie Queens is a niche documentary about Girl Scouts and their cookie-selling competition, so it was never going to have the natural commercial pull of a major mainstream film. It also had a relatively limited theatrical release, so making a direct comparison with a conventional blockbuster is difficult."
Fame vs. Audiences
Riaz believes Harry and Meghan's profile is no longer enough to carry a project. She said: "I do think there is a bigger PR issue here. Harry and Meghan have built a huge amount of their profile around being talked about, but there is an important difference between generating headlines and generating audiences."
She added: "Their names can still dominate the news cycle, but that does not necessarily mean people will spend money or time consuming every project they attach themselves to. In fact, I think the irony is that the less controversial the project becomes, the harder it can be for them to generate genuine curiosity."
Biggest Successes Came from Revelations
Riaz noted that their biggest projects, like their 2022 Netflix docuseries, promised revelations from their time as working royals. With Cookie Queens, she said: "There is no royal drama, no big revelation and arguably very little reason for someone who is not already interested in the subject to seek it out."
She also highlighted awareness issues: "I don't think everyone even knew this film was coming out, particularly in the UK. Harry and Meghan have an extraordinary ability to attract media coverage, but publicity around a project is not the same as a properly executed campaign designed to convert that awareness into ticket sales. It's possible to win the headline and still lose the audience."
Brand Dilution Warning for Meghan
Riaz warned Meghan about brand dilution, given her ventures like As Ever and her Netflix lifestyle programme. She said: "I believe there is a danger of brand dilution, particularly with Meghan. When you are simultaneously positioning yourself around lifestyle, food, television, products and now documentary production, the question rises of what exactly is the audience supposed to know you for?"
She advised being more selective: "I don't think the solution is necessarily for Meghan to stop doing things. It is about being much more selective. From a PR perspective, I would rather see her attach herself to fewer projects and make each one feel like an event, rather than constantly giving the public another new venture to assess."
Fascination Remains, But Work Must Stand Alone
Riaz concluded that the box office result doesn't prove people have stopped caring, but fame alone can't drive engagement. She said: "The biggest lesson for them will probably be that being famous can get people to notice their projects, but it can't make people want to watch it. And perhaps the most interesting thing from a PR perspective is that Harry and Meghan may now have reached the point where their biggest asset, their enormous name recognition, is also their biggest challenge. Audiences are no longer automatically buying the product simply because their names are on it. The work has to stand on its own."
