The former royals reportedly failed to bring out the crowds in Utah, where they screened the latest project they produced at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary produced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle highlighted the lives of four Girl Scouts who navigate their way through cookie selling season.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly failed to sell documentary screening
The couple was at the screening location in Park City, Utah, and hoped to harness their star power and fill the house to watch the documentary on Sunday morning. However, reports from the Eccles Theater in Utah claimed that the seats at the screening of “Cookie Queens” were not completely occupied.
Sources claimed that when the film’s screening began, around 150 empty seats were left on the balcony with chairs scattered around the ground floor. However, that number has been reduced to around 60, with waitlists filling seats typically reserved for $6,900 express badge holders.
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Page six confirmed that it was a different scene for Olivia Wilde’s film “The Invite,” which premiered Saturday night. Wilde’s project, which starred Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton, saw an influx of viewers as staff were even spotted turning away around 100 ticket holders.
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Inside the power couple’s efforts to promote the documentary
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival was far from a failure as more Hollywood A-listers, including Olivia Colman, Charli XCX and Natalie Portman, saw their projects in high demand last week.
Harry and Meghan had tried to change the tempo of the documentary “Cookie Queens” the day before its screening by making a few appearances. The couple reportedly made a surprise entrance at a premiere at nearby Sundance on Saturday night.
Unfortunately, things started on a boring note for the couple on Sunday morning when their screening session started 10 minutes late. Meghan also took the stage to address the crowd before the film and thank the crowd for coming despite being hungover from last night’s “late nights.”
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“My husband, I and Archewell Productions are very proud and privileged to be able to support and elevate ‘Cookie Queens,'” Meghan added. Harry was seen giving hugs to those involved in the project in the room before the lights went out.
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Meghan Markle admitted a deep connection to the documentary ‘Cookie Queens’
The film, directed by Alysa Nahmias, focused on four Girl Scouts fighting for an $800 million cookie fortress where dreams are made.
Meghan and Harry’s production company teamed up with Beautiful Stories and AJNA Films to bring the film to life. The explosion reported that Meghan expressed why she was so committed to the success of the project and how it reminded her of her youth.
“As a former Girl Scout myself, with my mother as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film and am proud that all of our conversations and collaborations have led Archewell Productions to partner with this award-winning team to produce this incredibly captivating documentary,” the former actress told Deadline.
Meghan added that the appeal for the project was instant, thanks to its creative point of view, bold and humanizing tone, coupled with the irresistible nostalgic view it offered into the world of modern Girl Scout cookie season.
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The ‘Suits’ actress saw huge sales for her honey brand last year
She may not have sold out all her tickets to the Sundance Film Festival, but her lifestyle brand “As Ever” saw huge success last April when her wildflower honey was released on her website.
The explosion noted that the $28 wildflower honey was in high demand, alongside $12 herbal teas (hibiscus, peppermint and lemon ginger), $14 pancake mix and $15 flower chip shortbread cookies.
However, fans were left disappointed as their orders were not fulfilled after the website experienced a glitch. The issue prompted the site to continue accepting orders despite running out of stock.
Meghan’s team quickly brought the situation under control with a sincere apology and a promise of a full refund as well as an additional free item of the buyer’s choice. The email customers received admitted that excitement over the brand drop had created a volume of traffic the team didn’t see coming.
The Duchess of Sussex also sent a personalized note to affected customers, promising to put them first in line for future releases and deliver their goods by courier.
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Meghan Markle prepares to cover more ground abroad with her lifestyle brand
The former actress also doesn’t rest on her laurels when it comes to promoting her brand, like every other endeavor in her life. In a recent interview, the mother of two claimed plans had begun to expand its brand reach beyond the shores of the United States.
The former actress added that since sales were quickly exceeding their projections and expectations, it was essential to scale up and test the waters further. In support of its mission, another internet glitch revealed that the humanitarian had sold almost a million jars of its fruit spreads.
Some frequent shoppers on its website discovered the source, which gave them an idea of the brand’s inventory levels. The Signature Fruit Spread gift set had shown that there were only 137,000 units left to sell, out of an initial production of 1 million pots.
Reddit commenters quickly did the math and placed Meghan’s income from her jam line alone at a whopping $35.9 million, classifying her brand as very successful.
Will the tide turn for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s project despite this development?
