$50M Hit Iron Lung Skips Netflix for YouTube

A $50 million box office hit choosing YouTube over Netflix, Amazon, and every other major streaming service is not something anyone would have predicted five years ago. But that's exactly what Markiplier is doing with Iron Lung, his self-funded horror film based on David Szymanski's 2022 indie game.

Mark Fischbach revealed during a panel at the Cannes Film Festival that Iron Lung will arrive exclusively on YouTube's Movies & TV storefront on May 31, according to Deadline. When asked about the platform choice, Fischbach kept it simple: "I'm pretty loyal to it." No pricing has been confirmed yet, though new digital releases on YouTube typically fall between $19.99 and $29.99. A physical release is also in the works, though details remain thin since it was first teased back in February.

I think this is a smart move, and one that says more about where entertainment is heading than most people will give it credit for. Fischbach built his entire career on YouTube. His audience lives there. Routing them through a Netflix subscription or an Apple TV rental would add friction for the exact people most likely to buy the film. Skipping traditional distribution entirely and going straight to where your fanbase already spends hours every day is the kind of decision that looks obvious in hindsight but almost nobody in Hollywood would have the nerve to make.

Iron Lung hit theaters on January 30 and grossed over $50 million against a reported budget of just $3 to $4 million. Fischbach wrote, directed, edited, self-financed, and starred in the film, which follows a convict sealed inside a submarine navigating an ocean of blood on an alien moon. The premise is lifted almost directly from Szymanski's game, which itself came from the developer behind Dusk and Gloomwood. Critical reception was mixed, but audiences clearly showed up.

Fischbach also teased at Cannes that he plans to start "working on something" new in 2027, so Iron Lung likely won't be his last film.