The self-financed horror film that trumped Melania at box office

"Instead, the big success story was , a new film directed by Mark Fischbach, better known as the popular YouTuber Markiplier. Inspired by the 2022 horror game created by David Szymanski, Iron Lung was made for $3m and has made $21m to date, Impressively, the film also reigned supreme over Sam Raimi's new horror comedy Send Help, starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien."

"Not only is the new documentary Melania a big box office flop, but it was trumped by an unexpected victor - an independently financed horror film made by a YouTuber. The documentary about First Lady Melania Trump might have exceeded predictions on its opening day, grossing $2.9m from 1,778 cinemas, but this is a far cry from the reported $70m Amazon paid to buy and distribute the film."

Independently financed horror film Iron Lung, directed by Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), was produced for $3m and has grossed $21m, surpassing the documentary Melania at the box office. Melania opened with $2.9m from 1,778 cinemas despite reports that Amazon paid $70m to acquire distribution. Iron Lung expanded from an intended 60-theatre release to more than 4,000 theatres across the UK, Australia and New Zealand due to fan demand. The film is set after the Quiet Rapture and follows a convict named Simon piloting a submarine through a moon's ocean of blood. Rotten Tomatoes shows 44% critics and 89% audience for Iron Lung, and 6% critics and 99% audience for Melania.

Read at The Independent