Meghan and Harry’s $4 million Netflix movie could rival Barbie box office, expert claims
The Sussexes spent nearly $4 million to acquire the movie rights to a bestselling novel, and the project is expected to do huge numbers when it's finally released on Netflix.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first movie project for Netflix could be one of their most successful endeavors yet.
The Sussexes signed their deal with the streaming platform in 2020, which is reportedly worth $112 million.
They are now said to have spent a staggering $3.8 million on the movie rights to Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune.
Fortune’s second novel, published this year, sold over 37,000 copies in its first week on shelves alone.
Netflix has already generated huge numbers with last year's release of the Sussexes’ docu-series, Harry & Meghan, and PR expert Mayah Riaz believes their next project could be just as popular.
“Harry and Meghan are no strangers to attracting millions of eyes upon what they do and this will be no different,” she said.
“I believe the film could hit record numbers in the first week at the box office.”
Although the film is being produced by Netflix, there’s a strong possibility it will also be released in theaters to generate more profit.
The streamer used the same tactic to generate buzz for both The Irishman and last year’s Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion.
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With Harry and Meghan’s names attached, there’s no doubt that Netflix will be hoping for millions of eyes on the movie come opening weekend.
“Everyone will be talking about it for weeks leading up to the release as well as afterwards,” Riaz told the Mirror.
“It might not beat the record of Barbie at the box office but I believe it could come very close second to it.”
Barbie recently crossed $1 billion at the global box office, although Fortune’s weepy melodrama is a far cry from Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s upbeat extravaganza.
Her novel follows two strangers who fall in love in their 30s and eventually deal with missed opportunities, childhood trauma and post-partum depression.
The death of a parent in a car crash is also a key plot point, echoing the tragic death of Harry’s mother Princess Diana in 1997.
Riaz thinks the heartbreaking narrative could help viewers “better understand” Harry’s experiences, but will it translate to boffo at the box office for Netflix and the Sussexes?
