What would happen if a well-known YouTuber known for recorded gameplay of horror games made a movie about one of their games and released it nationwide in theaters? Well, on Jan. 30, 2026, Markiplier did just that.
Two weekends ago, YouTuber Mark Fishbach, famously known as Markiplier, worked with the creator of the horror game “Iron Lung” and independently released a film of the same name. This movie has been in development for about three years, with the first two trailers released back in 2023.
If you are an avid fan of Markiplier, you would know that in the past, he has created “build your own adventure” YouTube originals, respectfully named, “A Heist with Markiplier” and “In Space with Markiplier.” Knowing what he is capable of through these, there is no doubt that “Iron Lung” would be just as good, or even better.
Having been a fan of Markiplier myself since 2015, I was very excited about the announcement of “Iron Lung”. As a big fan of psychological horror but not so much of body horror, I knew this film was right up my alley. Along with Markiplier playing the main character? Oh, sign me up!
I went and watched the film in theaters twice at the same movie theater. On two separate days, of course. Once at 6:45 pm and once at 10:00 pm. At both showings, the theaters themselves weren’t sold out, but there was a decent number of people there showing their support and interest in the movie. Everywhere I looked, there was someone with a bucket of popcorn ready for the masterpiece that would soon be playing on the screen.
To talk about “Iron Lung” itself, it wasn’t anything short of greatness: the acting, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the suspense. Everything was top-notch in my opinion. The ending had me un-reclining my seat and sitting up straight so I could be fully immersed in the action taking place. To not give any spoilers, as per Markiplier’s wishes, let’s just say the ending leaves you eye-opened, mouth agape, and wondering “what would I have done in their shoes?” as you walk out of the theater.
Although there were amazing parts of the film, and big kudos to Markiplier for that, there were also some parts that left me confused and had me wanting more, even after two watches. Towards the middle, it sort of felt repetitive and mundane.
We were getting some information about the main character and the world they were in, but not enough to get a full understanding of who they were and why they were in this predicament in the first place. Throughout the film, the characters kept mentioning a certain thing that was meant to be a big deal and a big reason everything was taking place. However, we never really got the answer as to why it was such a big deal.
As someone who loves exposition in films because it helps me understand the characters and the world they live in better, I left with an empty feeling and many unanswered questions. After letting the movie sit in my head for a day or two, I found myself wondering if the film would have been easier to understand if these questions had been answered.
Since release day, the film instantly went onto the charts and dominated for almost the entirety of the first weekend it was out. Going up against Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” and the documentary “Melania,”,“Iron Lung” was the number one movie in America for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday, making back triple the budget that was spent on creating the film itself.
Markiplier posted a video on YouTube expressing his gratitude to his fans for making his dream come true and how happy he was that something created and distributed independently became the most-watched movie in America for most of the weekend.
Fans all around America have given Markiplier nonstop praise for this film and haven’t stopped talking about it since its release. It’s nice to see fans come together to appreciate something that means the world to its creator. Again, as a fan since 2015, I am beyond proud of Markiplier and the film he created. Markiplier put his everything into it, and you can really tell. If I could go watch it one more time, I definitely would.
To those of you who have not watched “Iron Lung” yet, Markiplier mentioned that it is possibly moving to streaming and even onto physical media. So hopefully, when it does, I recommend giving it a watch, even if you aren’t a Markiplier fan or a fan of the “Iron Lung” game.
