YouTuber Markiplier’s acting and directorial debut film, “Iron Lung,” has caused an upset in the box office. With only a $3 million budget — a miniscule amount in a world where films costing over $100 million to produce has become the norm — financed by Markiplier himself, it has nevertheless managed to gross $35.2 million in ticket sales, 11 times its production budget.

This surprising profit is exemplified by, but not unique to, “Iron Lung.” In fact, this pattern stretches across the horror genre, which has found rising success despite lower-than-average budgets. Horror movies are able to do more with less, and the rest of Hollywood should be taking some notes.

“Iron Lung” is based on the video game of the same name, following a convict who is sent into an ocean of blood on an alien planet. Set in a claustrophobic submarine, the audience feels trapped like the protagonist — a budget-friendly choice that does not sacrifice the movie’s artistry. 

The majority of the movie takes place inside of the submarine, and Markiplier takes full advantage of the setting. Every corner of the submarine is utilized creatively, with a screen on the wall acting as the only light on set. While “Iron Lung” might take “less is more” to the extreme, there’s a lesson every production can learn from this one: Creativity is more important than the size of a budget.

Up until the 2000s, the highest budget for a film was “Titanic,” a movie that is now ranked 64th on a list of the highest Hollywood budgets. It would be easy to say that films have always cost a lot to produce, but of the top 10 highest film production budgets, seven are from this last decade. 

Many assume that the higher the budget, the better the movie. Stunning visual effects and A-list actors aren’t cheap, but they both draw audiences. Bigger audiences mean bigger profits, and producers are incentivized to spend increasingly exorbitant amounts of money on their projects. Budget inflation, at first glance, could be shrugged off as a result of general rising costs in the economy. But budget prices continue to outpace inflation. Hollywood’s current problem isn’t color grading — as users on X, formerly known as Twitter, might make you think — but rather, its seemingly ever-growing budgets for films. 

If Hollywood hopes to make great movies and great profits, it can’t simply keep increasing the production budget. Marvel’s “Thunderbolts,” which ended its theatrical run as a box office loss, is one example of a high-budget failure. Disney’s live action adaptation of “Snow White” lost the studio approximately $170 million in the box office. Despite having big-name producers and actors behind them, these movies both failed. According to a 2025 survey by MX8 Labs and The Measure, 57% of people said that they thought Disney’s live-action remakes were motivated only by money. 

Where these films struggled, “Iron Lung” exceeded expectations, and part of the reason is undoubtedly the low budget. When filmmakers have to make do with a limited budget, they are more intentional and creative with their production and marketing decisions.

So, maybe it’s time for Hollywood to start fresh. While studios continue to stumble even with massive budgets, indie horror movies like “Iron Lung” are evidence that there is an alternative. Less is more; you don’t need a big budget to make a big hit.