Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, recently commended Markiplier for his film, Iron Lung. The independently-made movie achieved surprising success, becoming a top-performing film in the United States.
The new film Iron Lung premiered on January 30th and was a huge hit with audiences. It made $21 million in its opening weekend, earning seven times its small production budget of under $3 million.
The movie is based on the popular 2022 indie horror game of the same name, and was entirely financed by Markiplier. He didn’t just fund it, though – he also wrote, directed, produced, and played the lead role.
Despite being made with a limited budget, the debut film Iron Lung was a huge hit with audiences, receiving an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What started as plans for small, local screenings in the US quickly grew into a worldwide release in major cinemas, which deeply moved the filmmaker behind the project.
Markiplier’s success with his film showed that independent creators can compete with major Hollywood studios, a point YouTube CEO Neal Mohan highlighted in a congratulatory message on February 3rd.
YouTube CEO says Iron Lung could completely change Hollywood
Mohan publicly praised the YouTuber Mark on X, suggesting his success will significantly impact the future of the film industry.
It’s seriously amazing to see YouTubers like Markiplier taking full control of their projects, from making them to actually getting them out there. It really feels like we’re watching the future of Hollywood unfold right before our eyes!
It’s amazing to see creators like Markiplier on YouTube taking full control of making and sharing their content. This represents a major shift in how entertainment is made – it’s a new age for Hollywood.
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) February 3, 2026
I’m so excited about Iron Lung! Markiplier’s really hoping we can keep going to see it in theaters for as long as possible. He wants to get it into some film festivals and really help indie movies like this one get a chance alongside all the big blockbuster films. It would be amazing to see it get that recognition!
In a live stream on February 1st, he expressed hope that the project could be a significant boost for independent filmmakers. He said it would be “pretty cool” if it encouraged others to continue creating films and showed them that independent success is possible, potentially opening doors for new projects.
Although some critics are still debating it, audiences are really enjoying Markiplier’s unexpectedly popular horror film. TopMob gave it a fantastic 4 out of 5 stars in our review.
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2026-02-03 22:49