Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's box-office flop shows 'infamy' doesn't equal success: expert

Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may still dominate headlines, their latest Hollywood venture is raising questions about whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's names can convert all that attention into paying customers.

Following the recent release of "Cookie Queens," a documentary executive produced by the couple through Archewell Productions that follows four Girl Scouts navigating the highly competitive world of cookie sales while examining ambition, leadership and adolescence, the movie's opening weekend failed to produce strong box-office numbers.

"Cookie Queens" earned approximately $354,000 from 446 theaters, according to reported box-office figures .

The documentary was beaten by "CatVideoFest 2026," a compilation of viral internet cat videos that earned approximately $569,000 despite playing on just 255 screens.

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE’S HOLLYWOOD DREAMS HIT WALL AS EXPERT WARNS OF ‘TOXIC BRAND’ STIGMA Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell for comment.

The result has royal experts questioning whether Harry and Meghan's ability to dominate the news cycle still carries the same weight it once did.

"Harry and Meghan remain extraordinarily effective at generating headlines, but headlines and paying customers are two very different things," royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.

"There was a period when simply attaching their names to something guaranteed enormous curiosity.

I’m not convinced that’s true anymore." MARTHA STEWART QUESTIONS MEGHAN MARKLE’S HOMEMAKING CREDENTIALS WITH BLUNT CAREER ASSESSMENT "And there’s no getting around the optics of finishing five places behind a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos.

Hollywood can forgive a lot, but being beaten by ‘CatVideoFest’ is the sort of indignity that writes its own punchline." The Duchess of Sussex personally promoted the documentary ahead of its theatrical debut, discussing the movie and her own childhood experience as a Girl Scout.

Schofield said that involvement makes the opening numbers particularly noteworthy.

"Meghan certainly has enormous name recognition, but I think, at this stage, it’s fair to ask how much of that is fame and how much is infamy," she said.

"There’s a significant difference commercially.

"People may click on a Meghan Markle headline because they’re fascinated by her or irritated by her.