Horror film Iron Lung, based on the indie videogame by developer David Szymanski, hit movie theaters in February. It starred, was directed by, and maybe most interestingly, was distributed by YouTuber Markiplier working outside of the traditional Hollywood system. The movie was originally planned for release in only about 60 theaters in the US, but a fan campaign led to a premiere for Iron Lung in over 4,000 theaters worldwide.
While reviews are mixed, they do generally lean positive, and perhaps most importantly as far as Hollywood is concerned, the film grossed nearly $50 million—on a budget Markiplier has stated was “a little over” four million dollars.
