YouTube star-turned-indie filmmaker Markiplier broke down in tears while giving an emotional message to his fans amid Iron Lung’s breakout success at the box office.
Iron Lung, Markiplier’s independently-funded adaptation of David Szymanski’s 2022 horror game, debuted on January 30, 2026, blowing past expectations to become the number one movie in America.
The bloody, two-hour spectacle beat out Sam Raimi’s thriller ‘Send Help’ and political documentary ‘Melania,’ earning seven times its budget of less than three million dollars.
Markiplier went live on February 1, 2026 to discuss the movie’s success, giving a heartfelt word of thanks to his viewers for proving that independent filmmakers like him can compete with the bigwigs in Hollywood.
Markiplier hopes Iron Lung can boost indie filmmakers in Hollywood
During the stream, Mark asked his viewers to continue watching the film over the weekend, noting that ‘Send Help’ was slowly encroaching on ‘Iron Lung’s’ box office earnings. He explained that he didn’t “give a sh*t about the numbers,” saying that maintaining Iron Lung’s number-one spot could get the film seen at festivals and legitimize independent films in the industry.
“I’m almost hesitant to ask this, but I think it might be a big win for independent filmmaking,” he said. “Maybe, if that could inspire someone to keep making films, that’d be pretty cool. And maybe if it could open up a door for other people to do their projects independently and know there could be success in it, I think that’d be pretty cool.
“It’s been a funky weekend. It’s been really cathartic. It was so much hard work, and I’ve been getting a lot of really good messages from people that I really care about, a lot of people who worked on this movie who really cared about it and are really proud of it. If I could bring them a win… if I could take it to a festival, that might mean a lot.”
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Mark’s heartfelt message went viral on social media, leaving fans equally emotional and awe-struck at his success in beating out Disney to become the USA’s most-watched film in theaters.
“Beating Disney is one of the biggest achievements one can accomplish… I’m so happy for Mark,” one user wrote on YouTube.
“This man went from screaming at Slenderman to making one of the biggest movies because he really liked a game,” another said. “His mom must be in complete awe of her son.”
“The success of this film is a big push for indie filmmakers,” another argued. “Iron Lung ran, so more indie films can shine.”
While Iron Lung has received mixed reviews from critics, audience scores have neared the 100% approval mark on aggregates like Rotten Tomatoes. We at Dexerto gave the film a shining 4/5 stars for its suffocating atmosphere, terrifying scares, and Markiplier’s surprisingly fantastic acting, with the YouTuber confirming he has plans to make even more movies in the future.
