Markiplier's 'Iron Lung' hits Metro Detroit theaters: What it means for future indie filmmakers

(FOX 2) - A new horror film independently made by YouTuber Markiplier is swarming cinemas in Southeast Michigan and the U.S. Meanwhile, an expert says this could be a sign of changes in the industry as more indie films gain wide releases through word of mouth.

The backstory:

It was the beginning of December when Emagine Theaters in Rochester Hills began to receive requests to show a new film that was set to release in January. That film was Iron Lung, a claustrophobic horror film independently directed and produced by YouTuber Mark Fischbach (Markiplier). 

Emagine manager Ashton told FOX 2 they would receive phone calls and messages requesting the movie to be shown on their screens. 

"There was a lot of demand for it," he said. "We not only got quite a few calls. We have a review system for our theater where guests can leave comments or feedback or questions about movies, and we had maybe 10 or 12 reviews saying, ‘Please add Markiplier, please add the movie, please add Iron Lung, please show Iron Lung.'"

The film, based off a 2022 indie video game of the same name, takes place in a horrific future where all the stars and planets have suddenly disappeared in what was called the 'Quiet Rapture,' leaving only those on star ships and space stations alive, searching for hope in a sea of dead stars. 

The story focuses on a team researching a blood ocean on a dead moon. A convict, played by Fischbach, is welded into a submarine named the Iron Lung that traverses the dark depths of the blood ocean where Eldritch horrors await.

Local perspective:

The Rochester Emagine was one of the first theaters in the Southeast Michigan area to be added to the list of cinemas showing Fischbach's film in December. Before, however, it was expected to only be shown on 50–100 screens across the country. But, after thousands of theaters heard similar requests as Ashton did, that number exploded to over 4,000 theaters across the globe. 

AMC, Regal and many more multiplexes picked up the film, including MJR Theatres. Anthony Taylor, the Director of Marketing for MJR, told FOX 2 they were aware of the surrounding buzz of the film early on and were one of the first theater circuits to put tickets on sale.

"In the months leading up to the release, we had received a notable number of guest inquiries regarding the film," Taylor wrote. "While I don’t have specific figures, I can confirm that the level of interest has been significantly higher than what we typically see for independent releases."

Big picture view:

Iron Lung is among many independent films that have hit a wide release in recent years through word of mouth and crowdsourcing. In November, online film critic Chris Stuckmann released his horror film Shelby Oaks, which had one of the largest Kickstarter campaigns for an independent film. 

During its production, it gained the attention of the studio NEON and filmmaker Mike Flanagan, which ultimately led to Oaks getting a wide release in theaters rather than streaming only.

In 2022, A24's Talk To Me was released to critical acclaim, a film made by two brothers, Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, who hosted the YouTube channel Rackaracka. They would go on to direct 2025's Bring Her Back and are currently in production on Talk 2 Me.

Dig deeper:

All three films, regardless of critical or financial success, have common ground in their backstory coming from creatives working to break into the industry. But this is not a new thing, as Oakland University Director of Film Studies and Associate Professor Brendan Kredell told FOX 2, it is a sign of audiences feeling starved for the films they want to see. 

"I think we saw the same thing in the 90s, and that's what led to the growth of Indie Wood in the first place, and the Miramaxes and Focus Features of the world," Kredell said. "I think we saw the same thing in the 70s, and that's what gave us the new Hollywood, and the Francis Ford Coppolas, and the Martin Scorseses. So it's almost like every 20 years or so, we forget that audiences actually have tastes and want to see things that are interesting to them."

In 2026, this trend will have new legs with YouTubers and other content creators taking the helm of the theater experience. 

"Markiplier's brand was built on YouTube. How can that be leveraged to bring audiences to theaters? That phenomenon of trying to take somebody who's been incubated outside of the film industry and bring their brand into the film industry is also not new, right?" Kredell explained. "George Clooney was a TV soap opera star before he was George Clooney, leading man of Hollywood."

Budget Matters

The cost of a film always determines the success of it, and in recent years, many films with ballooned budgets have struggled to make their money back. The big hit to a film's finances is marketing, as it could cost hundreds of millions to convince audiences to get their butts in the theaters to watch the new Silent Hill movie or Chris Pratt film. 

Films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny cost Disney $352.3 million to make, but additional marketing potentially blew it up to over $500 million. The film would have needed to make nearly $1 billion at the box office to break even, and the film barely made its budget back when it released in 2023. 

Meanwhile, smaller independent films could see a fraction of box office numbers but could still be considered a success as they make a profit from ticket sales. Fischbach's film is expected to make $10 million on opening weekend, making its budget back and then some. 

"They're prioritizing putting these kinds of films in their theaters because that's a real change, and I think a positive one that if multiplexes are willing to consider diversifying their programming," Kredell said. "We might be onto something here."

What could this mean for upcoming filmmakers?

The recent rise in wide release indie films could also open the door to new ways of distribution for upcoming filmmakers. Kredell told FOX 2 if a theater can assure itself that they're going to be able to draw an audience of 100 people to a film, they would like to show that film. And potential ticket buyers requesting a film to be shown in their theaters could help filmmakers on social media tell their stories to larger audiences, even if it is in a few theaters. 

"Ask the audience what they want to see and then let the audience tell you, and then deliver that to them," Kredell said. "It requires a new way of thinking from both exhibitors and distributors. I would think that it would have to be the independents that blaze the trail in that respect, because the big players have too much invested in the status quo. But more movies like Iron Lung, if they’re as successful as Iron Lung looks like it’s going to be, are a powerful incentive to start thinking about doing it differently."

What's next:

Iron Lung opened on Jan. 30 in select theaters across the world. 

Back at MJR, Taylor says due to the film's truly independent release, they do not have any professional tracking of what the attendance will be for the film, but they do believe turnout will be strong. 

"For MJR, early indicators and advance sales suggest that turnout will be quite strong throughout opening weekend," he said.

Ashton at Emagine told FOX 2 on Thursday that there were five showings of the film that night, which were 90% full. 

"Normally during the Thursday, weekdays, we get maybe 50 to 60 people who show up for the new movie because we do show them Thursday nights," Ashton said. "It's our number one sold-out movie for today (Thursday) at least."

Even as theaters work to find their footing in the new world of streaming, it is safe to say film enthusiasts may see a new influx of auteurs in the next few years as more and more creatives pop up in your local multiplex or mom-and-pop theater. 

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