• Markiplier announced at Cannes Film Festival that Iron Lung will be available on YouTube starting May 31, 2026
• The release will be a YouTube exclusive, with the film available to purchase on the platform’s Movies & TV storefront
• The self-funded horror film grossed over $51 million worldwide against a budget of just $3–4 million
• Markiplier used the profits to pay every cast and crew member a bonus equal to their original salary
• He also revealed at Cannes that he won’t start his next project until 2027, wanting to spend time with his wife

If you missed Iron Lung in theaters, your wait is almost over. Markiplier — real name Mark Fischbach — announced during a panel at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday that his self-directed, self-funded horror film will be available to watch at home starting May 31, exclusively on YouTube.

The choice of platform wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knows Markiplier’s story. YouTube is where he built his career, where his audience of millions first found him, and where he’s stayed loyal through every evolution of his career. “I’m pretty loyal to it,” he said simply at Cannes, and that was that.

The film will be a paid purchase on YouTube’s Movies & TV storefront — no subscription required, just a one-time buy. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but new digital releases typically land in the $19.99–$29.99 range. For fans who want something physical, Fischbach previously mentioned a Blu-ray release is also in the works, though no date has been set beyond the YouTube drop.

What Iron Lung Is Actually About

Based on the indie horror game by David Szymanski — the developer behind Dusk — Iron Lung takes place in a bleak future following an event called “The Quiet Rapture,” in which every star and habitable planet in the universe simply vanishes, wiping out most of humanity. The survivors cling to whatever manmade structures remain. When a moon is discovered with what appears to be an ocean of human blood, a convict named Simon (played by Fischbach himself) is sealed inside a decaying submarine and forced to pilot it through the depths in search of answers.

It’s as unsettling as it sounds. Polygon called it frighteningly “claustrophobic” and “immersive” at the time of its theatrical release, and argued the rest of the film industry should be paying close attention to what Markiplier pulled off. Fischbach didn’t just star in the film — he wrote, directed, produced, edited, and distributed it himself after larger studios either passed or tried to take too much creative control.

The cast also includes Caroline Rose Kaplan, Troy Baker, and Elsie Lovelock.

The Box Office Story Nobody Saw Coming

Iron Lung opened in theaters on January 30 with almost no traditional marketing spend. No massive ad campaign, no billboard blitz — just Markiplier’s enormous social media presence and an audience that showed up for him. The result? Over $51 million worldwide against a budget of roughly $3 to $4 million. It famously outperformed Amazon’s Melania Trump biopic at the box office, a detail that still feels almost too good to be true.

What Fischbach did with those profits is the part that really stuck with people. He told Lemonade Stand that he used the earnings to pay every single member of the cast and crew a bonus equal to their original salary. In an industry where profit participation is notoriously murky, that kind of move lands differently.

The film’s success has already had ripple effects. Fellow YouTuber Sean “JackSepticEye” McLoughlin has since been inspired to develop an animated Bloodborne movie of his own — proof that Iron Lung‘s subversive run wasn’t just a one-off moment, but something that genuinely shifted what people think is possible for creator-led films.

What’s Next for Markiplier

At Cannes, Fischbach was candid about his timeline — and refreshingly unbothered about it. He joked that he won’t be making another feature for at least a year, saying he wants to spend time with his wife. When he does get back to it, he teased that he’ll start “working on something” in 2027.

Iron Lung arrives on YouTube on May 31. The submarine is waiting.

The post Markiplier’s ‘Iron Lung’ Hits YouTube May 31 appeared first on Cream.

• Markiplier announced at a Cannes panel that Iron Lung will be available exclusively on YouTube starting May 31, 2026
• The film cost $4 million to make and grossed over $51 million worldwide with virtually no marketing spend
• Markiplier wrote, directed, produced, edited, and distributed the film — and stars in it
• He used the profits to pay every cast and crew member a bonus equal to their original salary
• Markiplier says he won’t be making another film for at least a year, wanting to spend time with his wife

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.

The post Markiplier’s ‘Iron Lung’ Hits YouTube on May 31 appeared first on Cream.