Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's documentary film 'Cookie Queens' has been a commercial disappointment, grossing around $354k (£261k) in its opening weekend. Released under the Archewell Productions banner earlier this month, the film followed four Girl Scouts selling cookies and was overtaken at the box office by 'CatVideoFest 2026', a compilation of cat videos, despite playing in 446 cinemas.
Backlash and Commentary
The couple has faced significant backlash in the weeks since, with royal commentator Kinsey Schofield questioning whether Meghan and Harry hold any real star power without the royal family. In an interview with Page Six, Schofield advised the couple to 'disappear' for a while and 'dramatically reduce the number of announcements.'
Recent months have seen the couple make headlines for various reasons, including Harry's lawsuit drama, a private meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla, Meghan's appearance on Masterchef Australia, and the release of 'Cookie Queens'. This saturation has led to suggestions that the couple should step back and regroup.
Uncharted Territory
Since leaving the British Royal Family in 2020, Meghan and Harry found commercial success with tell-all projects like their Oprah interview, Netflix docu-series, and Harry's memoir 'Spare'. Six years on, however, there is little left to say that hasn't already been said.
With the Sussexes' visit to Highgrove in July, a potential reconciliation could be on the table, which Meghan and Harry might not want to jeopardise. The duo are standing on their own feet, but their personal brand isn't exactly stable. Advice suggests focusing on their life behind the cameras and building credibility by putting out high-quality content.
Future Projects
Meghan and Harry have intriguing projects in the pipeline, including an upcoming adaptation of Carley Fortune's bestselling novel 'Meet Me at the Lake'. As executive producers, the couple has the opportunity to cultivate a commercially and critically successful film that could become a hit for Netflix.
At this point, Meghan and Harry need to take a breather and press pause on the publicity machine. They need to let people wonder what they're up to and focus on building a more stable and respected brand within Archewell and themselves. Until they do that, it feels like they're just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, while their personal branding continues to plummet. Less is more. Quality over quantity.
