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It’s been nearly a month since Mark Fischbach‘s (aka Markiplier) directorial debut horror film, Iron Lung, entered theaters. This sci-fi horror film broke expectations, opening in over 4,000 theaters worldwide without a distributor and exceeding box-office predictions during its opening weekend. Now, Iron Lung is poised to break another box-office record, especially as the film prepares to enter Asian markets.
Iron Lung is a film based on the 2022 indie horror game of the same name, directed, written, and edited by Markiplier. The YouTuber plays the lead role, Simon, also known as the “convict,” who is selected to pilot a submersible called “The Iron Lung” on a moon with an Ocean of Blood, in hopes of finding resources. The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic universe that has succumbed to the Quiet Rapture, an event in which the stars and habitable planets vanished, leaving survivors to reside in space stations. Since its release, Iron Lung has been highly praised by fans, earning a Verified Hot audience score of 88%, and its critics’ score has increased to 61% on Rotten Tomatoes.
As of writing, Iron Lung is just inches away from hitting $50 million in worldwide revenue, with global earnings currently at $48 million. This puts Iron Lung in the top 40 of the highest-grossing independent films of all time, ranking alongside A24’s Midsommar and 2014’s Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Additionally, Iron Lung now ranks #8 for the highest-grossing films of 2026, between Border 2 and Return to Silent Hill. A week after Iron Lung‘s release, Markiplier revealed that the movie will be entering more countries, specifically in Southeast Asia, in places like the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, to name a few, so it won’t be long until that box office number increases to its next milestone.
What To Watch If You Like ‘Iron Lung’
If you’ve watched Iron Lung and need recommendations on what to watch next, you’re in luck, as Markiplier has produced other projects, and no, it’s not his YouTube videos. Before his debut, Markiplier released two interactive films, A Heist with Markiplier and In Space with Markiplier, both available on YouTube. In 2022, he released a documentary titled Markiplier from North Korea, which explored his family history and his mother’s escape.
In 2024, Markiplier starred in the psychological horror series The Edge of Sleep, playing Dave Torres, one of the few survivors who discovers that people are mysteriously dying in their sleep. The show is based on the podcast and novel of the same name and currently holds a 7/10 rating on IMDb. The Edge of Sleep is available to stream on Tubi.
Iron Lung is now showing in theaters. Follow Collider to keep up to date with the latest updates.
