Harry and Meghan's Business Struggles After Documentary Flops at Box Office

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex keep running into roadblocks in Hollywood. Their latest project, a documentary called "Cookie Queens," tanked hard at the box office. The film came out on August 7 in just a handful of theaters. It pulled in only $735 per screen. That placed it at number 15 on the opening weekend chart. All told, the movie made about $513,000 total in the United States. That is a tiny amount for a theatrical release.

A royal expert named Kinsey Schofield recently shared her thoughts on the couple's situation. She runs a YouTube channel called "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered." Her advice was pretty direct. She said the Sussexes should basically vanish from the spotlight for a while. They need to cut back on all the big announcements. Then they should find just one solid project with experienced people running the show. Schofield believes they have famous names, but they have not figured out how to turn that fame into real money from fans.

Here is what Schofield pointed out. Meghan has tried a ton of different things already. She had a cooking show on Netflix called "With Love, Meghan." She started a brand called As Ever. She also did a podcast deal worth $20 million with Spotify. That podcast only lasted one season though. Netflix eventually ended its deal with her too. Schofield thinks spreading yourself too thin across so many categories actually hurts you. Her exact words were that trying to build authority in every area at once means you end up building authority in none of them.

Schofield also said something important about their royal drama. She thinks they lean on their break from the royal family way too much. Audiences only care about that story for so long. If they want real staying power in entertainment, they have to show people care about their actual ideas and taste on their own merit. She added that it might not be random timing that we are seeing them try to mend things with King Charles. That fractured relationship might be hurting their careers more than they realized.

Despite all the bad news, Harry and Meghan still found time for a night out. They attended a gala in Canada celebrating David Foster's foundation. The event marked its 40th anniversary. Meghan chose to honor her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. She wore Diana's famous diamond and sapphire earrings on the red carpet. The couple seemed to be in good spirits even though their business ventures keep hitting walls.