Markiplier's New Horror Gem That's A "Win For YouTubers" Hits Box Office Milestone 15x The Budget

3 weeks ago 15

IRON LUNG, Mark Fischbach, 2025. © Markiplier

Published Feb 19, 2026, 9:56 AM EST

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Markiplier's new horror movie has become an even bigger "win for YouTubers."

Iron Lung has hit a box office milestone, officially earning 15 times its budget in theaters. Based on the video game of the same name, the Iron Lung movie stars Markiplier (real name Mark Fischbach) as Simon, a convict forced to explore an ocean of blood on a distant moon following the "Quiet Rapture," an event that caused all stars and planets to disappear.

Now, it's been confirmed that Iron Lung crossed $50 million at the worldwide box office. The financial milestone means it's earned over 15 times its budget of $3 million. Speaking with BBC Newsbeat ahead of the incredible milestone, Markiplier called the movie's success "a win for YouTubers," hoping for such major successes to be "normalized" over time.

Iron Lung surprised at the box office, earning $18.2 million domestically in its opening weekend, more than initial projections of $9-10 million. It came in second place domestically for its opening weekend as well, coming in above Sam Raimi's Send Help and Jason Statham's new action movie Shelter.

The movie's critical reception has been somewhat mixed in comparison to other horror movies in 2026 that have been released thus far. As of writing, Iron Lung has a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews. The movie also touts a Verified Fresh score of 88% based on over 2,500 verified ratings. This signals major audience acclaim.

The movie is also a massive win for Markiplier himself. Alongside his starring role, the YouTuber wrote and directed the movie, also serving as editor and executive producer under his Markiplier Studios production company. The movie was also fully funded by the creator, only elevating the level of success the adaptation has attained.

It's also the highest-grossing video game adaptation of the year thus far. While surefire box office smashes like the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie are bound to overtake it, Iron Lung has proven that low-budget adaptations can still work. This is especially true if the creative team behind it have a vision for the movie and its direction.

With this milestone coming in its first three weeks, Iron Lung still has an opportunity to break even more records should it continue playing in theaters. The film is starting to gain even more traction, meaning there's a strong chance it'll keep impressing so long as its release remains as wide as it is.