When Roadside Attractions purchased Cookie Queens a few months after the documentary premiered at Sundance, they did so with the promise that Cookie Queens would get a theatrical release. That’s a big deal – many documentaries get shuffled off to streaming these days. So, Cookie Queens got a limited theatrical release starting last week, with 446 screens carrying the documentary. That in and of itself is a big achievement! But not to Page Six and the British media, all of whom are now mocking the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for not making a box office hit. You guys, it’s a documentary about Girl Scouts selling cookies.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s newest film project, “Cookie Queens,” crumbled at the box office over the weekend as the latest Hollywood misstep for the runaway royals.
The documentary — which marked the Montecito duo’s theatrical feature debut as executive producers — was left with crumbs, grabbing just $735 per screen and opening at No. 15, according to Boxoffice Pro. That was five spots behind “CatVideoFest 2026,” a 70-minute theatrical compilation of the internet’s best cat videos.
Other indie films that opened ahead of “Cookie Queens” included “Tony” — the Anthony Bourdain biopic from A24 that debuted on just six screens — and two Indian imports, “DC” and “Korean Kanakaraju.” (Another popular tracking site, IMDb’s Box Office Mojo, had “Cookie Queens” at No. 13, but didn’t have numbers reported for the two Indian films.)
Markle and Harry’s Archewell Productions hasn’t found traction with audiences since a tell-all docuseries about their exit from the royal family first launched a lucrative deal with Netflix.
“Cookie Queens” arrived in theaters with a feel-good premise and critical raves. The Alysa Nahmias-helmed documentary entered the weekend with an impressive 94% rating on RottenTomatoes.
But the box-office numbers were half-baked at best, with the film about one intense Girl Scout Cookie season earning just $327,797 from 446 screens.
(Compare that to the 2003 doc “Spellbound,” which was tonally similar and revolved around eight kids vying for the National Spelling Bee title. That film had a per-screen average of $17,508 in its opening weekend en route to a $7,457,710 haul during its full run over two decades ago.)
Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations, tells P6H that indie distributor Roadside Attractions made a head-scratching decision to release “Cookie Queens” during the summer corridor.
“The documentary probably should have been released at the height of Girl Scout cookie season, when the cookies, and the girls selling them, are part of the national conversation,” Bock says. “For a small documentary, timing is marketing. It missed the very window that could have made it feel relevant and turned curiosity into ticket sales. Guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
I think releasing it in the dead of summer was a weird call as well, unless Roadside’s intention was “counterprogramming for all of the big summer movies.” Like, you can go see Spider-Man, The Odyssey or… you can take your daughters to see Cookie Queens. I think those numbers are perfectly respectable, by the way, for a small documentary. And getting 90-something percent on Rotten Tomatoes is a big deal as well. The reviews are great, and I’m glad someone made a good documentary about Girl Scouts. I’m sure it will find an audience.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images, Backgrid.
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- Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM – Meghan Markle speaks at the One Young World 2022 Manchester Summit in the UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM – Meghan Markle speaks at the One Young World 2022 Manchester Summit in the UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Park City, UT Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted arriving at the screening of the movie “Cookie Queens” during Sundance 2026, in Park City, Utah. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 25 JANUARY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Park City, UT Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted arriving at the screening of the movie “Cookie Queens” during Sundance 2026, in Park City, Utah. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 25 JANUARY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Park City, UT Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted arriving at the screening of the movie “Cookie Queens” during Sundance 2026, in Park City, Utah. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 25 JANUARY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Park City, UT Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted arriving at the screening of the movie “Cookie Queens” during Sundance 2026, in Park City, Utah. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 25 JANUARY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I’m going to watch it, because I used to be a scout myself, but this was never going to be a Marvel movie level of profit. I’m glad that it seems to be getting good reviews, I imagine being about young girls is holding back the usual crowd from tearing it apart.
Comparing it to a documentary from 2003–before streaming services existed—is wild. Lots of people will find this when it streams.
I’m guessing they wanted it in theatres to make it eligible for awards? But I don’t know that for sure.
Yes, I know that for the Oscars, movies need a theatrical release to qualify.
Also I wonder- because the ex Variety turned page six scribe omitted this fact – how many screens 2003 spellbound opened with to see whether it’s opening is really comparable to the limited 400 + screens that Cookie Queens had.
I also find the comments from the exhibitor about the release timing weird because it’s been very common strategy for years to release alternative fare to big summer blockbusters in August.
https://variety.com/2013/film/news/austenland-stephenie-meyer-aubrey-plaza-1200433810/
Anyway cookie queens is getting fab reviews and I saw reviewers saying it will have legs so let’s see if they expand screens etc
If it gets nominated for an Oscar I will laugh my butt off.
Maybe if these bitter Betty had a cookie or two they won’t be so dam unhappy all the time
I don’t even feel the need to defend this. Or drop facts about documentary performance. This is where you are british media, f*** y**, girl scouts for being associated with Harry and Meghan.
Keep going.
And keep wondering why the smear campaign isn’t working and you’re getting less and less clicks and attention. What will it take for them to understand that being willing to malign anything or anyone to take a pop at Harry and Meghan doesn’t endear them?
They had to go back over 20 years to find a documentary making money as if the entire film industry hasn’t shrunk since Covid.
I checked to see if it was playing in Toronto, which usually gets films, although not quite as many as NY and LA. The first showing isn’t until August 29.
In any case, this is likely to do well on streaming. And with a theatrical release, this will qualify for the Oscar’s.
OMG this niche documentary didn’t pull in Spiderman BND numbers!! Failure!!!
This will do well on streaming, I do think it should have been released during cookie season but I’m sure distribution wasn’t up to Meghan, unlike what the RRs think. For someone so “irrelevant” she has so much power….
It is possible they wanted it eligible for the upcoming Awards season. Hence the Summer release. It’s a win to get a niche documentary in movie theatres and to have such excellent reviews! There is no actual story here!
True. I am of the opinion that there should be more than 1 cookie season lol.
I noticed that it’s expanding where I’m at. I went to check showtimes and there were only a handful of showings in the early part of the week but tons more later this week. So clearly the exhibitors are happy with how it’s performing.
You know what? It looks like a cute documentary and the girls got to see themselves on the big screen. That’s a win in my book.
Meghan always has the last laugh. Always. They never learn and always celebrate prematurely.
As other commentators have said, to compare it to a documentary from 2003, before streaming is ridiculous. It’s a niche independent film about Girl Scouts! There are no issues here, the numbers are as expected for this type of movie on limited release! A Deadline article talking about the Box Office framed the numbers in a positive light! The constant attacks on everything Harry and Meghan do is exhausting though. Especially when there is nothing to criticise!
It’s annoying that the expectations for Harry and Meghan are much higher than the norm. It says something to have to go back 20 years to find a documentary that made real money.
Plus, Spellbound was in the theaters for a year before it went to cable.
Of the 5 Oscar nominees for best documentary last year, the highest overall cumulative domestic gross was $420,000 with the others ranging from $33,280 to $320,530 and only one of them actually had an international release schedule.
Cookie Queens is a niche market, limited release documentary that had a very respectable $350,000+ opening weekend.
And that right there really puts it in perspective.
Thanks for this breakdown; facts are the best weapon against detractors.
I remember how the British media tried to mock the ranking of *With Love, Meghan* on Netflix’s list of most-watched titles. I don’t recall the exact spot, but it was high—especially for that type of program—considering it was competing against *all* Netflix productions, including the company’s massive hits. Yet, no one mentioned that among programs of that genre, *With Love, Meghan* was number one, followed by a huge gap before the next similar show appeared.
It’s showing at the theater 5 minutes from my home and in several other theaters around Boston. It got a very good review from the Boston Globe (and they hate everything). I’ll try to go this week.
Hoped the writer had fun with all those groan worthy comments about the documentary “crumbling” and “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” and the ratings merely “crumbs.” Hahaha! Anyway, according to industry standards, Cookie Queens did well. Apparently, the Anthony Bourdain bio came marginally ahead at the box office. I would like to see the Bourdain feature as well. It’s so sad that his voice is no longer on this planet.
Exactly. According to people in the industry, Cookie Queens did well, not modestly, and it certainly didn’t “crumble”. This documentary may well get more threatrical releases before it moves to streaming, and will do well on both platforms.
I live in a community with a huge Girl Scout presence during cookie season. However, I’ve not seen any ads for Cookie Queens, even though it’s playing in my area. This doc could’ve done much better if GSA had partnered with promoting its release.
Girl Scout troops in. California and New York bought out whole screanings so they could watch it. The documentary did well in theatres that traditionally show documentaries. How many adverts for niche independent documentaries do you normally see in your local area?
The majority of documentaries are independently financed and all are niche. Applying those labels to Cookie Queens is unnecessary and in fact, they diminish its scope and appeal. There are four independent theaters in my area and they usually show trailers for upcoming films and documentaries. I haven’t seen Cookie Queens because all of the showtimes are early and I can’t watch anything before noon. The Regal cinema screens at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m.
Maybe I’m being naive but I think a documentary making over $300,000 is a good result.
It’s a great result.
I was a bit disappointed that closest theater to us showing it was 20 miles away. We had planned to make the trip tomorrow but then a last minute appointment happened. Still going to try, maybe next week.
I think this was expected, and it has excellent reviews. I don’t think anyone thought this would be a blockbuster. In fact, this makes it more likely to be picked up by a streamer. Documentaries like this have long tails and will probably make income for years to come.
I think the strong reviews are more interesting here than the opening weekend numbers. A documentary about Girl Scouts was never going to compete with major summer blockbusters, and a limited theatrical run can be valuable in its own right. It will be interesting to see whether the good word of mouth helps it find a bigger audience through streaming.
I saw the film last Sunday in Alexandria, VA. It’s only showing in some AMC theaters. I loved it; no violence or profanity. The girls being able to see themselves on a big screen must be so inspiring. The family support of their daughter was a big take away for me. I told my friends that are grandparents to adolescent girls to take them to see this film. It’s scheduled to stream on Netflix and Prime .