Notice: Discussions of Iron Lung are all spoiler free, however there are some spoilers for the plot of Generation Loss

YouTube is a platform that has been around for 21 years and has become the starting point for many famous faces we all know and enjoy today. Some of these famous faces have gone on to create outside of what would be seen as the typical things that one might usually see on the platform. Many YouTubers have gone on to tell stories on a much bigger scale for their viewers to enjoy. One of these stories became a turning point for Indie animation.

One YouTuber, Markiplier, released his movie to the public back in late January of this year. That movie was Iron Lung, based off of the horror game made in 2022 by David Szymanski, Mark initially only intended for 50-150 theaters to have the movie showing, but according to the movie’s website (IronLung.com), That number is now up to 4,152 theatres across the globe as of February 2026 because of how many people sent requests to their theaters. The movie has also successfully made it to number one in America twice, to the point where it ended up suddenly being removed from the box office charts. It has also broken a record for most fake blood used in a horror movie, with about 80,000 gallons used total, which beats Evil Dead’s record, according to Tim Bradley on Farout Magazine. The amount of fake blood actually sent Mark to the hospital after he accidentally got it in his eyes. 

This success from the movie actually brought Mark to tears twice. Shortly after the release of the trailer, he made a video titled “I didn’t think this was possible” and cried mid-video after discovering that the movie sold out in his hometown. He went on to explain in said video that he had initially thought that this sort of success would not be possible, but the fans proved him wrong. The film has also made 50 million dollars at the box office according to Christopher Livingston on pcgamer.com (as of February 27th, 2026). 

I ended up leaving this movie with my jaw to the floor. I walked in, fueled by excitement and left in pure shock in all of the best ways possible. It was a watch that stuck with me even weeks after finishing it. I don’t want to spoil much in terms of the plot, but it is absolutely worth the watch if you ever get the chance to see it for yourself. 

Mark made numerous other projects prior to this that I could’ve probably turned into a whole second article, but I would like to mention another that many remember even after it’s been said, done, and deleted. That project in question would be Unus Annus, a one year project between him and Ethan Nestor, One of Mark’s good friends whose channel was originally known as CrankGamePlays. Together, they got help from Mark’s current wife, Amy. The overall theme that they wanted to touch on was limited time before death. They made videos that released daily throughout the course of the channel’s “life” and once they reached the end of the year, they had a big livestream that lasted several hours before they joined together and deleted the channel, signifying the channel’s “death”. A good portion of the one year together was at the height of when COVID-19 came to the United States, forcing them to have to do a lot of their videos on call together. Either way, they created a community that still remembers the joy, laughter, and chaos that this channel brought people in a time of isolation. 

Many other Youtubers have managed to go on and make things on a much bigger scale. Another example is an Augmented Reality Game (ARG) created by YouTuber and streamer, Ranboo, titled Generation Loss (abbreviated as Genloss). Genloss was a horror comedy created by Ranboo and starred in numerous other Youtubers that people would recognize such as: Ethan Nestor, Slimecicle, Jerma985, Niki Niachu, and several others. Many of them played as themselves, while some others played as certain characters in the show. For example, Jerma985 played the Puzzler, the main villain in episode two, and Criken, another streamer, played Hetch, who was the villain in episode three.

It was streamed on Twitch back in late May of 2023. The streams were only the start, however, as the Generation Loss YouTube channel still continues to add videos and community posts that tease generations zero and two to the public. Despite the stream being nearly three years old, the fanbase seems to continue to remain strong today on social media. Fanart, edits, memes, and animations all sparked after the start of the stream and kept being revealed even after the final episode was completed. 

The stream gives off of the mix of a horror movie and a video game, and I enjoyed it a lot. Much like the situation with Iron Lung, the ending of Generation Loss also left me at a loss for words. I was watching it late at night when I was already laying in bed and all I could do was lay there with my mouth open in pure shock. It was a project that I can’t help but circle back to, and I’m excited to see what’s next to come. 

On top of these successes that are already out in the world, some are on their way and in production as we speak. For example, Youtuber Jacksepticeye, also recently announced that he is producing a movie called Godmother, starring drag queen Dee Wallace. According to Zoe Miskelly on Screenrant, the movie follows a couple on a trip that takes a turn for the worst. Many joked about the timing of the announcement, with Godmother being announced shortly after Iron Lung’s release date was revealed to the public. This is not the only project that he has been a part of though, as he has also had a history in voice acting. The most recent project that he has voice acted in was Dispatch, as Punch-Up, however his history with it stretches far. He even voice acted in things like Poppy Playtime and Bendy and The Ink Machine. 

There are plenty of other projects that were created by or featured Youtubers that many know and love. With how many projects that exist, however, I could probably turn it into an entire book! These creators are the people that became a part of so many childhoods and became the inspiration for so many fans today.