Iron Lung has become yet another 2026 horror movie to scare away the competition.
The horror film Iron Lung, released in 2026, has quickly become a surprise box office success. It’s based on the video game of the same name and was entirely funded by Mark Fischbach, a popular YouTuber known as Markiplier, who also wrote, directed, and starred in the movie.
According to data from The Numbers, the horror film Iron Lung has earned $23.3 million domestically in its first week of release. It opened at number two with $17.8 million, which is almost six times its $3 million production budget. This total is now higher than the entire domestic box office revenue of the 2026 sci-fi film Mercy, which was the year’s first number one movie.
With box office numbers exceeding those of Mercy, Iron Lung is now the fourth highest-grossing movie released in the U.S. this year. This makes horror films the dominant force at the box office, currently holding the top four spots. The films ahead of it are 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Sam Raimi’s intense thriller Send Help, and the monster movie Primate.
Below, see the Top 5 domestic releases of 2026 as of Thursday, February 5:
| Rank | Title | Domestic Box Office |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Primate | $25.3 million |
| #2 | Send Help | $24.5 million |
| #3 | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | $24.2 million |
| #4 | Iron Lung | $23.3 million |
| #5 | Mercy | $20.5 million |
With few big movies coming out over Super Bowl weekend, horror films are expected to remain at the top of the charts for another week. However, the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, arriving on February 13th, has the potential to become the year’s biggest domestic box office hit.
As a huge horror fan, I don’t see things slowing down anytime soon – 2026 is already shaping up to be a competitive year for the genre! I just read on Deadline that Scream 7 is predicted to open with around $35 million when it comes out on February 27th. That’s seriously impressive – they’re estimating it will make more in its first weekend than all four of the current top-performing horror movies have made total so far!
As summer movie season gets underway, big-budget blockbusters and animated films will likely become the most popular choices. However, several horror movies scheduled for 2026 have the potential to be major successes, demonstrating that horror continues to be a strong genre in theaters.
Several upcoming horror films are expected to be major releases in 2026, alongside titles like Iron Lung and Scream 7. These include the sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (March 20), Evil Dead Burn, produced by Sam Raimi (July 24), the new Insidious: The Bleeding World from Blumhouse (August 21), and a reboot of Resident Evil directed by Zach Cregger, the director of Weapons (September 18).
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2026-02-06 22:39