Melania's documentary debut may have seemed like an unlikely hit, but its box office success is just one piece of a larger trend in the world of app startup ideas. With Amazon's massive marketing budget and a release at over 1,000 theaters across the US and Canada, many predicted that the film would fail to impress. However, by mid-day Saturday, Melania had opened up X and proved its doubters wrong.

According to early estimates, the documentary saw the biggest theatrical opening of any non-concert film documentary since 2012, with a weekend total of $7 million in just over 1,700 theaters. This puts it in third place for the weekend, behind Sam Raimi's thriller Send Help and The Iron Lung, a self-funded horror movie from YouTube star Markiplier.

But what's driving this unexpected success? A closer look at the documentary box office reveals that right-leaning films are consistently outperforming their left-leaning counterparts. This trend is nothing new, with Daily Wire-produced doc Am I Racist? topping the charts in 2024 with a domestic gross of $12.3 million.

So what's behind this shift? According to Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of the Daily Wire and producer of Am I Racist?, it's all about catering to conservative values. "Theaters aren't safe spaces," he said. "They're places where millions of Americans also want to go and see content that they want to see."

Grass-roots campaigns have been instrumental in boosting box office, with social media announcements for in-theater viewing parties being a common practice for films with right-leaning topics. This tactic has been particularly effective for Melania, which saw fans organizing viewing parties and sharing their experiences on social media.

But what does this mean for the future of app startup ideas? It's clear that right-leaning documentaries are here to stay, and it's up to entrepreneurs to capitalize on this trend. With Amazon committing to expanding Melania's reach, not contracting it, we can expect to see more films like this in the coming years.

As Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM, puts it: "We're very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for Melania exceeding our expectations. This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docuseries."

In other words, if things continue to play out for Melania as they have for other right-interest docs, this weekend is just the tip of the iceberg. With the appetite for conservative content on the rise, it's clear that app startup ideas will be a key player in shaping the future of entertainment.