Markiplier’s ‘Iron Lung’ Hits YouTube on May 31

If you missed Iron Lung in theaters — or you just want to revisit that ocean of blood — Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach has your date: May 31. That’s when his self-funded indie horror debut lands on YouTube, and it’ll be a platform exclusive.

Fischbach made the announcement Sunday morning during a Cannes Film Festival panel moderated by Deadline, and the choice of platform wasn’t exactly a surprise coming from the man who built one of YouTube’s biggest channels. “I’m pretty loyal to it,” he said simply, describing YouTube as his home.

The Little Horror Movie That Absolutely Could

By any measure, Iron Lung is one of the more unlikely success stories Hollywood has seen in years. Made for somewhere between $3 and $4 million — depending on which part of production you’re counting — the film grossed over $51 million worldwide after opening in cinemas on January 30. It had no real marketing campaign to speak of. No studio machine behind it. Just Markiplier’s enormous built-in fanbase, relentless word of mouth, and a concept compelling enough that strangers were apparently delivering impromptu TED Talks about it on the street after Nine Inch Nails concerts.

Larger studios had passed on the project or tried to take creative control, so Fischbach self-funded and self-released it in the U.S., partnering with Piece of Magic Entertainment for international territories across Europe including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries. The gamble paid off in a way that made the industry pay attention — the film famously outperformed Amazon’s Melania Trump biopic at the box office.

Based on David Szymanski’s dread-inducing indie horror game of the same name, Iron Lung is set in a post-apocalyptic future after “The Quiet Rapture” — an event that causes every star and habitable planet in the universe to simply vanish, wiping out most of humanity. The survivors are left clinging to manmade structures in space. When a moon is discovered with an ocean apparently made of human blood, a convict named Simon (Fischbach) is sealed inside a decaying submarine called the Iron Lung and sent down into it to look for answers. It’s as psychological as it is physical, and Fischbach didn’t just star in it — he wrote, produced, edited, and distributed it too. Co-starring alongside him are Caroline Rose Kaplan, Troy Baker, and Elsie Lovelock.

What Markiplier Did With the Money

Perhaps the detail that’s resonated most with fans since the film’s release: Fischbach used the profits to give every single member of the cast and crew a bonus equal to their original salary. For a first-time filmmaker who self-funded the whole thing, that’s a statement.

The film’s success has also had ripple effects in the creator-to-filmmaker pipeline. Fellow YouTuber Sean “JackSepticEye” McLoughlin has since been inspired to develop an animated Bloodborne movie of his own — proof that Iron Lung‘s impact goes beyond just its box office numbers.

What’s Next for Markiplier

Don’t expect a quick follow-up. At the Cannes panel, Fischbach joked that he has no plans to make another feature for at least a year — he wants to spend time with his wife. After writing, directing, producing, editing, distributing, and starring in a film that he also personally bankrolled, that seems more than fair.

A Blu-ray release is also in the works — Fischbach confirmed back in February that a physical edition is coming, so fans who want it on the shelf shouldn’t have to wait too long after the YouTube drop.

As for pricing on YouTube, that hasn’t been announced yet. But if you’re ready to climb into the submarine, May 31 is your date.