A documentary about Girl Scouts selling cookies has become the latest target of the British press. The film, executive produced by Meghan Sussex and Prince Harry through Archewell Productions, debuted to mixed-to-positive reviews and modest theatrical numbers. In response, several UK outlets declared it a “humiliation” and a “flop.”

What the headlines do not mention is that this is an independent documentary, not a studio blockbuster. What they also omit is that the same film won awards and received positive notices from critics who actually watched it.

Positive Reviews Undercut the ‘Crushing’ Criticism

The film has received favourable coverage from several outlets. Martin’s Musings described it as “a charming new documentary” that takes the annual Girl Scout cookie ritual and turns it into “a surprisingly engaging story.” The review praised the film’s warmth and called it “an encouraging message” about the next generation. It gave the film a B+.

The Boston Herald noted the film’s “depth, humor and determination,” with director Alysa Nahmias explaining she wanted to explore how girls are seen by society, how they learn about their value and what it means to come of age in today’s economy. The New York Times called the film “terrifically entertaining,” praising its subjects as “fun to watch” and noting that the film is “a slice-of-life documentary about something so many Americans have experienced.” The review described it as “delightful viewing.”

Even The Daily Beast acknowledged that the reviews were mixed rather than disastrous, noting RogerEbert.com’s 3.5-star rating and praise for the film’s empowering message.

How the British Press Covered It

The British press response has been unsurprisingly hostile, with several outlets treating the documentary as another opportunity to mock Harry and Meghan rather than review it on its own merits. The Sun led with the claim that the film had been beaten at the box office by a compilation of cat videos, declaring it a “flop” that had fallen “embarrassingly short.” The Times echoed the cat-video comparison while reporting that the film had earned less than £250,000 over its opening weekend and failed to crack the US Top 10.

The Daily Express framed the result as a “fresh humiliation” and described the venture as “bombing,” turning a modest documentary release into another instalment of the Sussex failure narrative. GB News went further, claiming the film had received “crushing reviews” and dismissing it as “a mishmash of interviews,” while The Mirror similarly centred the cat-video comparison. The coverage is more than just negative; it pushes the actual young subjects into the background so the film can become another vehicle for attacking Harry and Meghan.

What the Media Coverage Leaves Out

The “beaten by cat videos” comparison is factually true. According to updated figures, Cookie Queens opened with $353,255 from 446 theatres. CatVideoFest 2026 earned about $569,000 from 255 theatres.

But that leaves out important context. Cookie Queens is a 91-minute documentary about Girl Scouts selling cookies, not a conventional studio blockbuster. It opened in 446 US cinemas through Roadside Attractions. Documentary audiences increasingly watch this kind of material on streaming rather than theatrically.

More importantly, the claim that the film received universally “crushing reviews” is simply not accurate. The New York Times called it “terrifically entertaining.” The Boston Herald praised its “depth, humor and determination.” The Daily Beast noted the critical reception leaned positive. Metacritic currently classifies 71% of the reviews it has collected as positive and 29% as mixed, which makes the claim of universally “crushing reviews” particularly difficult to sustain.

There is a major difference between:

“The film had a disappointing theatrical opening and received mixed reviews.”

and:

“Harry and Meghan suffer fresh humiliation as another project bombs and critics crush it.”

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A Modest Documentary Opening Is Not a Sussex Failure Story

The British media coverage is becoming unnecessarily cruel. These are children appearing in a documentary about Girl Scouts, yet some outlets are treating the film like another excuse to mock anything connected to Meghan because she is an executive producer.

Whatever people think of Harry and Meghan, getting an independent documentary into Sundance, securing support from the Sundance Documentary Fund, landing a U.S. distribution deal with Roadside Attractions and opening on 446 screens is still a real achievement. The film has also won audience awards at Sundance and SXSW.

And context matters. Earning more than $300,000 from a limited theatrical documentary release is not the same thing as a major studio blockbuster opening on thousands of screens. Comparing Cookie Queens to films with enormous marketing budgets and nationwide releases is ridiculous. If it had opened on thousands of screens with the marketing budget of a major studio franchise, then a blockbuster comparison might make sense. It did not. Otherwise, call it what it is: a modest documentary release being inflated into another Sussex “failure” narrative.

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