‘Iron Lung’ is a Surprise Hit at the Box Office

YouTuber Mark Fischbach’s take on the horror game title landed in second place at the box office this weekend, a key sign of an evolving media landscape.

Mark Fishbach in 'Iron Lung.' Photo: Markiplier Studios.

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‘Iron Lung’ took second place at the box office this weekend.
The film was self-distributed and funded by YouTube superstar Mark Fischbach.
‘Send Help’ took the top spot.

Submersible-based horror title ‘Iron Lung’ all but sunk the competition this week.

The new movie, financed, self-distributed, co-directed and starring YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach scored an impressive second place at this past weekend’s box office.

With a thrifty reported budget of $3 million, the movie managed second place against ‘Send Help’, the latest effort by an established director (Sam Raimi) with all the might of the Disney marketing machine behind it.

What’s the story of ‘Iron Lung’?

Mark Fishbach in 'Iron Lung.' Photo: Markiplier Studios.

‘Iron Lung’ follows a fugitive (Fischbach) in a post-apocalyptic future who, after a world-ending event known as “The Quiet Rapture,” must scavenge natural resources in an ocean of blood.

Other cast members include Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock, Seán McLoughlin and Caroline Kaplan. It was co-directed by David Szymanski, who created the original game.

The movie made $21.7 million worldwide in its debut from theaters, with $17.8 million of that from North America.

What else happened at the box office this weekend?

Rachal McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios' 'Send Help'. Photo by Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Even given the impressive start for ‘Iron Lung,’ Raimi’s ‘Send Help’ triumphed, bringing in $19.1 million. But it’s all the more stunning that ‘Iron Lung,’ which relied on grassroots, word-of-mouth marketing, was able to compete at all.