An image from the movie “Iron Lung”
Courtesy of Markiplier, 2026
Iron Lung, the horror feature film from filmmaker and content creator Markiplier, will debut on YouTube on May 31st after a successful theatrical run.
The film opened in nearly 3,000 theaters worldwide in late January and the box office ultimately topped $50 million, which is an impressive return for a project that reportedly was budgeted around $4 million.
Markiplier announced the film’s YouTube premiere during a panel on creators. It will be available for purchase exclusively on the streamer, but no price point was announced at the event.
Based on the breakout indie horror game of the same name by David Szymanski, here is the official logline of the film:
“In a post-apocalyptic future after “The Quiet Rapture” event, a desperate attempt to explore an ocean of blood on a desolate moon unfolds when a convicted individual is sealed inside a decaying submarine nicknamed the Iron Lung — a descent into dread that becomes as psychological as it is physical.”
Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, directed and stars in the film. Co-starring are Caroline Rose Kaplan, Troy Baker, and Elsie Lovelock.
A number of other creators have released films to the theatrical film market in the past three to five years, but Iron Lung is by far the most successful example of the trend. And its success is due to a combination of an established fanbase and the willingness to spend the time to fully develop the idea before beginning production.
Markiplier has spent more than a decade on YouTube and has more than 38 million subscribers with over 20 billion views across his channels.
He began on YouTube by posting horror game playthroughs, which explains in part why his first feature film was in the horror genre.
But he and his partners spent more than two years in pre-production, sharing each step with his audience so that when the film was done and ready for release, fans responded when he asked them to purchase advance tickets. Those sales encouraged reluctant theaters to agree to increase screenings into a much wider opening that planned.
During his appearance at Cannes, Markiplier told the audience he was planning another movie, but was taking a year off from filmmaking to spend more time with his family.