PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Creator Markiplier Opens Iron Lung
Courtesy of Markiplier
Iron Lung, the debut feature from popular YouTube creator Mark Edward Fischbach (aka Markiplier), was a surprise box office success this past weekend.
The Big Picture: Vying for the top spot at the box office against 20th Century’s Send Help (directed by genre legend Sam Raimi), Fischbach can now boast a real hit movie to match his internet stardom… and use that credibility to bounce between the biggest and smallest screens.
Behind The Scenes: Fischbach’s 38 million YouTube subscribers showed up for the creator in a big way.
Fischbach wrote, directed, starred in, edited, financed, and distributed the $3 million adaptation of the 2022 horror game by David Szymanski, which follows “survivors of the apocalypse who launch an expedition to a barren moon with an ocean of blood.”
The movie was initially set to play on only a few hundred screens in partnership with Centurion Films, but that number ballooned to 4,164 screens (3,000 in the US) after Fischbach told fans they could request it at their local theaters.
The movie made $17.8 million over the weekend, far above its projected $10 million gross and just behind Send Help’s $20 million haul.
End Credits: Fischbach, known for his popular “Let’s Play” videos of indie horror games, joins a growing roster of digital creators who’ve made the jump to genre filmmaking. That includes the Philippou brothers (aka RackaRacka), who made Talk to Me and Bring Her Back for A24; Michael Shanks, who made Together for Neon; Curry Barker, who made the upcoming Focus Features movie Obsession; and Kane Parsons, who made the upcoming A24 movie The Backrooms.
It’s another reminder that horror is one of the best entry points for new filmmakers — and may also be the definitive genre for creators transitioning into mainstream productions. Why? It’s the genre that best allows them to put all of their DIY skills to the test.
Coming Soon: With the self-distributed Iron Lung breathing new life into the theatrical marketplace, expect theater chains to seek out more digital creators for direct deals.
Together with Cash App
What If Saving Felt As Easy As Your Morning Routine?
Round up spare change from your coffee runs, set aside part of every paycheck with direct deposit, and put your savings to work with up to *4% interest.
Plus, there are no monthly or hidden fees.**
Save and transfer money whenever you want, with 24/7 fraud monitoring and proactive security features keeping your funds safe.
Reach your goals faster with a smarter way to save that fits into your everyday life.
**Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See Terms & Conditions. Eligibility restrictions apply to some benefits. See Terms and Conditions for more information.
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.