The highly anticipated Sundance Film Festival screening of "Cookie Queens" - a documentary produced by none other than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - didn't quite sell out as expected. Despite their royal status and star power, roughly 150 empty seats remained in the Eccles Theatre during Sunday's morning show, with only about 60 spots eventually filled by lucky wait-listers.
The film itself was enthusiastically received by the Park City crowd, following the story of several precocious Girl Scouts from across the US as they embark on a quest to sell as many cookie boxes as possible. However, a ticket to this exclusive Sundance screening is notoriously difficult to come by, with staff having to turn away around 100 actual ticket holders at Olivia Wilde's premiere the night before.
The couple's appearance at the festival also drew some attention, but they were unable to fill the theater. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the screening in Park City, Utah, where the documentary was shown, followed by a surprise appearance at another Sundance premiere in nearby Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Meghan Markle took to the stage before the film began, thanking the audience for arriving early and acknowledging that some may have had late nights. She expressed her pride and gratitude for being able to support the film, produced by their company Archewell Productions.
Despite the production's high-profile status, it seems they're facing some challenges in recent times, including the cancellation of their Netflix lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan" and significant staff layoffs. The couple has been working on building up their production arm since 2020, but it appears there's still a long way to go for them to achieve mainstream success.
The film itself was enthusiastically received by the Park City crowd, following the story of several precocious Girl Scouts from across the US as they embark on a quest to sell as many cookie boxes as possible. However, a ticket to this exclusive Sundance screening is notoriously difficult to come by, with staff having to turn away around 100 actual ticket holders at Olivia Wilde's premiere the night before.
The couple's appearance at the festival also drew some attention, but they were unable to fill the theater. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the screening in Park City, Utah, where the documentary was shown, followed by a surprise appearance at another Sundance premiere in nearby Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Meghan Markle took to the stage before the film began, thanking the audience for arriving early and acknowledging that some may have had late nights. She expressed her pride and gratitude for being able to support the film, produced by their company Archewell Productions.
Despite the production's high-profile status, it seems they're facing some challenges in recent times, including the cancellation of their Netflix lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan" and significant staff layoffs. The couple has been working on building up their production arm since 2020, but it appears there's still a long way to go for them to achieve mainstream success.
I'm soooo disappointed that the Sundance screening of "Cookie Queens" didn't sell out as expected 
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are like, super famous now, but apparently their royal status isn't enough to guarantee a sold-out crowd 
I mean, I've been trying to get tickets for months and it's still super hard to come by 
maybe it's just me, but I was so hyped for this film! 
Anyway, it's not like the film itself wasn't good... it's actually really cute 
, but yeah, let's be real, their production company is struggling a bit 
they cancelled that Netflix show and laid off staff... I mean, I get it, building an empire takes time 
but still, I'm rooting for them! 
. But nope, 150 empty seats? That's just wild 
. Anyway, I do love the documentary tho, Girl Scouts selling cookies is literally the cutest thing ever 
. But yeah, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle need to step up their game if they wanna be taken seriously in the production world 
I mean, you'd think they'd be able to fill the theater with their celebrity status. Guess there's still some work to be done for Archewell Productions to make it big time! 
. maybe they need to rethink their strategy or something 
, maybe they should've put tickets on sale earlier? 
. Selling out 150+ empty seats at Sundance is not exactly what you'd call royal treatment 
. Guess even Hollywood A-listers need to hustle a bit more 
. I do think it's a shame that they're facing some tough times with Archewell Productions, though - they've got a lot of potential and I'd love to see them succeed 
I'm low-key surprised that "Cookie Queens" didn't sell out more seats 
at Sundance. I mean, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are huge stars, but I guess people just weren't ready for a film about Girl Scouts selling cookies 
... still, it's cool to see them supporting the arts and giving back 
.
. Canceling shows and laying off staff is not what you'd call a successful rollout 
. I get that they're trying new things, but maybe they need to take a step back and recharge 
️... or just stick to the cookie game 
The cancellation of their Netflix show and staff layoffs don't exactly scream "success" to me. Still, I'm curious to see how they'll bounce back from this. Maybe a few more high-profile projects will help them build momentum? 
It's like, what's going on? Did people not want to see a cute doc about Girl Scouts selling cookies? 
I know the royal couple is still kinda new at this production thing and it's natural they won't hit a home run right away 
️. Still, I'm rooting for them! They're doing their thang 
. Maybe next year will be better? Fingers crossed! 
I mean, i'm all for the Markles promoting arts and all, but you'd think with Prince Harry's royal connections and everything, they'd have like sold out that theater by now 
. It's actually kinda sad they're struggling a bit after all these years of building up their production company... seems like they've had some major setbacks with Netflix and staff layoffs 
. And I feel bad for the wait-listers who only got in at the last minute... but also kinda jealous 
... Anyone else watch "Cookie Queens"?
.
it's not always easy to be in the spotlight and use it for good, so kudos to her for trying!