Markiplier, a famous OG YouTuber, is pulling a “Taylor Swift,” in the sense he’s breaking Hollywood rules by releasing his self-financed low budget indie horror film in several theaters across the country without a distributor. The YouTube Gamer was first associated with Iron Lung after playing the indie horror game on his channel. Soon after this it was announced he was working on a film with the game’s creator also creatively involved. While other YouTubers have failed in the past, will this gamer be able to successfully give the Hollywood studio system the finger?
Who is Markiplier?
Mark Fischbach AKA Markiplier is a YouTuber video game let’s player. Overtime he ventured into comedy videos and full-fledged narrative content.
Markiplier has 38 million subscribers on YouTube and a dedicated fanbase, many of whom have been with him since middle school age.
The content which propelled the youtuber to fame included his let’s plays of indie horror games. Specifically Five Nights at Freddy’s before it became a global sensation.
Other ventures include a clothing brand, tours and YouTube Original Series.
Markiplier co-hosts the Spotify podcast Distractable and a sports podcast called Go! My Favorite Sports Team.
The YouTuber is also known for a channel called “Unus Annus” which was a collaboration with another gamer. The channel only ran for a year before being deleted from the site.
Iron Lung, like many of Markiplier’s projects, is written, directed and edited by the filmmaker. He is also the star of the film.
The film is being released through Markiplier Studios, which is Fischbach’s own production and distribution company.
There is no paid marketing campaign for the film itself. Markiplier’s built-in fan base being the main driving force of interest and ticket purchasers.
What is Iron Lung?
Before Markiplier announced he would be adapting an Iron Lung horror film, it was a popular horror game.
Iron Lung, an indie horror game, is created by David Szymanski. The game simulates the experience of exploring an alien planet in a claustrophobic and tiny submarine.
An unnamed convict is forced to adventure into an ocean of blood. The film takes place on a moon inside a rusted submarine called the “Iron Lung.”
Szymanski, who is expected to make a cameo appearance, co-wrote the film with Markiplier fully giving his creative blessing to the project which is based on Szymanski’s popular game.
Markiplier played the game on his YouTube channel in 2022 after its first release on PC, and that video garnered much success, even more so after the film announcement.
Since then, the game has since been released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Android in time for the film’s 2026 release.
“IRON LUNG,” the title of Markiplier’s playthrough video, has amassed over 12 million views as of Jan. 2026.
Additionally, the Iron Lung video game has received generally positive reviews and has slowly grown in popularity since its release.
A popularity surge came after the implosion of the Titan submersible. Some aspects of the game were compared to the horror of the real-life situation.
The film seems distanced enough from this tragedy to not garner any controversy over its release.
Iron Lung Need-to-Knows
The Iron Lung synopsis reads, “In a post-apocalyptic future after ‘The Quiet Rapture’ event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the ‘Iron Lung’ to search for missing stars/planets.”
This synopsis gives the impression that audiences can expect similar sci-fi horror elements to that of Alien, The Thing, the Riddick franchise, Pandorum and Life but on a much smaller scale.
Here’s a quick bulleted list of facts about Iron Lung:
- Iron Lung‘s possible success could be another huge boost to low budget indie horror films after the success of the Terrifier franchise.
- The film’s cast includes popular YouTuber “Jacksepticeye” and legendary video game voice actor Troy Baker.
- Markiplier shared a taste of the film’s atmosphere with a final trailer released on his YouTube channel. So far it has 5 million views.
- During the filming of Iron Lung, they used over 80,000 gallons of fake blood. This surpasses Evil Dead’s record for the most used in a film.
- Markiplier has interactive/choose-your-own-adventure narrative projects on his channel, which give a glimpse into his filmmaking style.
- Iron Lung is rated R. The film has a runtime of two hours and seven minutes.
The YouTube gamer turned director had the premiere for his film back on Dec. 5 at L.A.’s Alamo Drafthouse downtown.
According to Deadline, Markiplier has been working with a distribution vet from the 1980s to get his film available in as many theaters as possible.
Ticket sales are currently around $5M, but as with viral social media films of the past, it’s possible Iron Lung will be front loaded and not have staying power at the box office.
Iron Lung Release Date
The film will release on Jan. 30, 2026, in select theaters across the United States and Canada with planned releases outside of North America.
Piece of Magic Entertainment will help release the film in several European on the same date as it releases in North America and Australia. They were also international partners in releasing Taylor Swift’s The Official Release Party of a Showgirl.
Deadline reported that the film is tracking to possibly make up to $10M, all from an inexpensive social media marketing campaign.
On the flip side, big budget horror film Send Help is tracking to make about $14M with a much higher budget marketing campaign.
Will this low budget “David” that is Iron Lung be able to take down the big budget “Goliath” that is Send Help to earn that number one spot at the box office?
There hasn’t been any announcement on what happens after the theatrical run and whether the film will stream on Markiplier’s YouTube Channel.
In the meantime, audiences can familiarize themselves with Markiplier by watching his YouTube videos. He also starred in a television miniseries called The Edge of Sleep, currently streaming on Tubi.
The Iron Lung game is available for purchase on PC, Switch, PS5 and Android.
Tickets for Iron Lung are available for purchase on the film’s website.
