An unusually crowded box office Friday delivered a surprise winner, as a mix of studio releases, star-driven vehicles and politically charged titles hit theaters at once. Leading the pack was not a Hollywood tentpole or a familiar franchise, but an independently financed horror film backed by a YouTube creator, underscoring how unpredictable theatrical audiences can still be.
Topping Friday’s chart was Iron Lung, an indie horror release that earned an estimated $8.9 million from 3,015 theaters. The film, which is expected to climb to around $17 million by the end of the weekend, significantly outpaced early projections that had placed it closer to the $10 million mark. What makes the result striking is how the film came together. Iron Lung was self-distributed and funded by Markiplier, one of the world’s most recognizable gaming and horror personalities, marking a rare instance of a creator-driven project outperforming major studio releases on opening day.
Based on the 2022 indie horror game of the same name, Iron Lung is set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic future following a catastrophic event known as the “Quiet Rapture.” The story follows a fugitive forced to scavenge resources in a vast ocean of blood, blending minimalist sci-fi with psychological horror. The film is co-directed by the game’s creator David Szymanski and Markiplier himself, who also stars. Its success reflects the power of built-in fan communities and the continued box office reliability of the horror genre, even outside the studio system.
Close behind in second place was Send Help, a survival thriller from filmmaker Sam Raimi, best known for the Evil Dead series. The film earned $7.2 million on Friday from 3,475 North American theaters and is projected to reach at least $18 million by Sunday, with the potential to go higher if word of mouth spreads. Raimi’s return to visceral, suspense-driven storytelling has resonated with genre fans, and industry observers expect Send Help to ultimately claim the weekend crown despite its second-place Friday finish.
Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, Send Help follows two co-workers whose fraught power dynamic is turned upside down after their plane crashes on a remote island. With a reported budget of around $40 million, the film represents a mid-budget studio gamble that could evolve into a sleeper hit if its momentum holds through the weekend.
In third place was Melania, a politically themed documentary directed by Brett Ratner. The film grossed $2.9 million on Friday from 1,778 theaters and is tracking toward an $8.1 million weekend, well above early expectations. Melania chronicles the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration and has benefited from curiosity-driven interest, as well as the notoriety surrounding Ratner’s return to filmmaking after years away from the industry. Amazon MGM reportedly acquired the film for $40 million, and its early theatrical response suggests that politically adjacent documentaries can still draw sizable audiences when timed carefully.
Action fans showed more modest interest in Shelter, which landed in fourth place with $1.9 million on Friday from 2,726 theaters. The film stars Jason Statham as a reclusive man whose rescue of a young girl triggers a violent chain of events. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, Shelter is projected to reach about $5 million by Sunday. With a reported budget of $50 million, the film faces a tougher road ahead and will likely depend heavily on international markets to justify its cost.
Rounding out the top five was Disney’s animated holdover Zootopia 2, which added $1.3 million on Friday and is expected to bring in $5.8 million over the weekend. Its domestic total is nearing $408 million, reinforcing the staying power of family-friendly animation even as new releases crowd the marketplace.
Taken together, the weekend paints a fascinating picture of today’s theatrical landscape. A self-funded horror film from a digital creator is outperforming traditional studio fare, a veteran horror director is proving the genre’s enduring appeal, and politically charged and action-driven titles are finding mixed results. For general audiences, it’s a reminder that box office success no longer follows a single formula — and that sometimes, the biggest surprises come from the most unexpected places.
Indie Horror ‘Iron Lung’ Shocks the Box Office as New Releases Crowd Theaters
