Content creator Markiplier’s breakout feature film ‘Iron Lung’ sets release date on YouTube
Breakout hit 'Iron Lung' is heading straight to YouTube. The movie, released on January 30, grew exponentially on the back of positive word-of-mouth. To date, 'Iron Lung' has earned over $50 million worldwide against a $4 million budget, according to Deadline. The film was directed by content creator Markiplier, aka Mark Fischbach, who also starred in the venture. The movie had little to no marketing cost associated with it. Most of its promotion was done through the director's social media platforms. During a panel in Cannes, Markiplier announced that the movie will be available for purchase on YouTube. The breakout hit may have received many offers from several streaming sites, but Markiplier eventually chose YouTube because he is "pretty loyal to it."
Besides being the director and star, Markiplier also wrote and produced the movie. 'Iron Lung' is based on the indie horror game of the same name by David Szymanski. The story takes place after the fictional event named 'The Quiet Rapture.' The cataclysmic phenomena caused stars and habitable planets to disappear from the universe. "A desperate attempt to explore an ocean of blood on a desolate moon unfolds when a convicted individual is sealed inside a decaying submarine nicknamed the Iron Lung — a descent into dread that becomes as psychological as it is physical," the movie's synopsis reads. The film also stars Caroline Rose Kaplan, Troy Baker, and Elsie Lovelock.
Markiplier self-released the film in the US and collaborated with Piece of Magic Entertainment to break through in international territories like Germany, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The release was a challenge that Markplier expected, but streaming was an unexpected obstacle, as per IndieWire. "You can't just take a video and put it up on YouTube and sell it as a movie. You'd think it would work that way… I thought it worked that way because I'm a YouTuber," the filmmaker shared on his stream.
The biggest issue was not having a distributor, which YouTube mostly deals with for its exclusive releases. Markiplier had no distributors and did not want to collaborate with one. After a "long arduous process" in which Markiplier had to meet YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, the platform and director were able to get on the same page. YouTube agreed to become the movie's exclusive digital home. Now, Markiplier wants to help other filmmakers fulfill their dreams on YouTube. "I would love to fight to build the system where anybody could do it right," he said. "There should be a system where people are able to just do it almost as easily as making YouTube videos. Everyone stays on the platform." 'Iron Lung' will be available for rent or purchase on YouTube on May 31.
