Iron Lung, the YouTuber-inspired film, thrives at the box office despite efforts to remove it.

Iron Lung made a splash at the box office, raking in $17.8 million during its opening weekend. It outperformed titles like Malenia, Zootopia 2, and Avatar: Fire and Ash, with only Sam Raimi’s Send Help managing to hold its ground, bringing in $20 million over the same period.

Inspired by the 2022 indie game of the same name created by David Szymanski, Iron Lung tells the story of a convicted criminal who, after a cataclysmic event dubbed “the Quiet Rapture” wipes out most of humanity and the stars, finds himself trapped in a sealed submarine. His mission? To navigate a moon’s ocean of blood in search of resources.

The film’s success can be attributed to several factors, but a key player is Mark Edward “Markiplier” Fischbach. With over 33 million subscribers on YouTube, Fischbach is renowned for his indie horror game playthroughs, and his massive following has a knack for elevating indie titles. Iron Lung is no exception; he showcased the game on his channel in 2022, which ultimately inspired him to take on the roles of producer, director, writer, and actor for the film.

However, the film’s box office journey hasn’t been without its quirks. In a video shared on X, Fischbach highlighted some unusual fluctuations in the box office numbers over the weekend. He noted that on January 30, the film debuted at number one but seemed to vanish from the charts on Saturday and Sunday. As of now, Iron Lung has reappeared on the box office charts, but fans speculated that this oddity might be linked to the film’s indie status, suggesting that larger studios could be attempting to undermine independent projects. Markiplier’s dedicated fanbase even had to rally to convince theaters to screen the film, a move they surely appreciate now.

Despite its brief absence from the charts and mixed reviews, Iron Lung has significantly outperformed its production budget, which was under $3 million. Whether this success will pave the way for Fischbach’s future directing endeavors remains to be seen, but he is certainly receiving accolades for his bold leap into filmmaking.