It shouldn’t really come as a surprise: Amassing a total of 73 million followers across the internet, Mark Fischbach, alias Markiplier, released his first feature film, Iron Lung, in 4,000 theaters nationwide on Jan. 30. Written, directed, and acted in by Fischbach, it is already, in no uncertain terms, a massive financial success. With a budget of only $3 million, its opening weekend saw a domestic gross of $17.8 million and an additional $3 million in international profits.
But as one of the internet’s most recognizable personalities, why does his achievement come as such a shock? “5 Reasons Why Markiplier’s Iron Lung Shocked the Box Office.” “Send Help Fends Off Surprising Challengers.” “How a YouTuber’s self–financed horror film became a surprise hit.” Overwhelmingly, headlines about the film focus on two things—Markiplier’s occupation as a YouTube content creator and the unlikely nature of his rise to box office stardom. There’s a distinct divide between YouTube and film, the latter being seen as more prestigious despite the two industries requiring a largely similar set of skills: video production, an eye for narrative, and marketing, to name a few. Iron Lung isn’t by any means the only game–to–film adaptation out there, or even the first foray of a YouTuber into the mainstream film industry, but its separation from any major studios or production powerhouses sets it a step apart: Its success distinctly threatens an industry that prides itself on being difficult to break into.
Adapted from David Szymanski’s 2022 indie game of the same name, Iron Lung tells the story of Simon (Fischbach), a convict who agrees to investigate an ocean made of blood on a desolate moon in exchange for his freedom after “The Quiet Rapture,” a mysterious event that caused all the planets and stars in the universe to disappear. With only satellites, spaceships, and their occupants left behind, Simon becomes part of a crucial mission to investigate this ocean for any hint of a chance at sustaining human life.
The game takes place entirely within a submarine nicknamed the “Iron Lung,” into which the player is welded and given only a few minimal controls and a camera to capture the landscape and specimens they encounter on the seafloor. Other than a faceless voice that occasionally offers less–than–helpful guidance over the intercom, there’s no human interaction. What this means is that the film is basically two hours of watching Markiplier trying to figure things out and talking to himself—which, at least for his 38.2 million YouTube subscribers, is exactly their cup of tea!
Markiplier’s YouTube channel has charmed audiences with video game content since 2012. Over the years, he’s covered a multitude of horror games, diminishing their fear factor with his distinctive personality and entertaining commentary. It takes a certain kind of person to captivate an audience by just sitting there, pressing buttons, and talking, but Markiplier clearly has what it takes—his initial Iron Lung playthrough from May 2022 has over 14 million views. He’s not just a YouTuber, he’s Markiplier—and the movie’s success is not that crazy when you think about his immense social pull and influence. Iron Lung was essentially entirely marketed by Markiplier fans, and many of them were responsible for its widespread distribution by requesting the film be shown in their local theaters.
It’s not that the film was successful in spite of Markiplier’s status as a YouTube personality, but rather because of it. YouTube as a platform inherently lends itself to parasocial relationships—you spend enough hours of your life listening to someone talk, and eventually, it feels like he’s talking directly to you. But emotional investment as marketing isn’t a novel tactic either—the same psychology is at play when posters put A–list names in big text, rely on audiences’ franchise nostalgia, and borderline affair–bait (looking at you, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi). It’s just that Hollywood does it in a less transparent way. Mark’s reliance on the fans for the film’s success feels less like exploitation and more like teamwork—a reciprocal relationship founded in years of online community.
Is Iron Lung a perfect film? Far from it. It’s half an hour too long, suffers from sluggish pacing, and the audio is at times incomprehensible—but it’s still pretty damn impressive. Like the game, it takes place almost entirely within the submarine, and many have praised the shot variety, especially from a first–time director. What it lacked in writing was made up for with the strength of its practical effects—which include everything in the film apart from the showstopping final sequence. Overall, its spot at the top of the box office is solidly earned.
Furthermore, its success reflects what mainstream audiences want: more accessibility, not less. Maybe we have more fun going to movies when we feel like we know the person who made them. Maybe we’re tired of the narrative that auteurs and prodigies are the backbone of the business when what we really want is a familiar face and the product of a collective effort. And while it’s not quite the layman’s win—Markiplier is still a not–so–minor celebrity, after all—it’s significant that a self–financed, independently produced and distributed film based on a video game nearly outperformed Sam Raimi’s 20th Century Studios-backed newest work.
More than anything else, it means we shouldn’t scoff at YouTubers with big-screen aspirations anymore. As Netflix’s biggest competitor, YouTube not only holds its own in terms of viewership, but also houses a workforce of the internet’s most dedicated personalities, videographers, and entrepreneurs. Danny and Michael Philippou, the twins behind the channel RackaRacka, are responsible for Talk to Me. Dan Trachtenberg of Black Mirror and Predator: Badlands fame started as an internet personality. Kane Parsons of Kane Pixels is in the process of turning his analog horror series The Backrooms into a feature film and is set to be the youngest director in A24’s history. In any case, Markiplier’s smash hit finds itself in good company. Iron Lung might just be what the general public needs to start finally seeing YouTube and its talents as the threats they are.
