0:05 Okay, this is really actually amazing news that we should all be very happy for this. But um, do you guys know about Markiplier's movie? No. >> Which movie? >> I do. Yeah, it's really cool. So, Markiplier, have you Do you know who Markiplier is? >> Yeah, he's cool. >> The tuber scum. Yeah, he's like from our era. >> Yeah, he's been around forever. Uh, he started off with gaming content and kind of branched out to absolutely all kind of content you can think of. And He basically crushed everything he's done. >> Yeah, he's one of the best creators on the platform. And he created and starred in a fully independent horror movie that's based on a It's an a video game adaptation. >> Was it the Iron whatever thing? Okay. >> Iron Lung, yep. And it it had a $3 million budget. And so far, it's made 20 million and counting. And he self-funded it, directed it, edited it over the free weekends that he
0:56 had in between shooting his YouTube channel, running his podcasts, and running his clothing company. Uh, it was originally meant to screen in only three theaters. And then they were able to get it up to 50. And then there was massive response from his audience like calling different theaters trying to ask, "Oh, are you going to show Iron Lung?" To the point where it eventually became available on 4,500 screens. And on January 30, it was number one on the box office charts above anything else coming out. So, against Sam Raimi's movie, against uh, Zootopia 2 or whatever. Like, it's number It's the number one movie and it was made on a 3 mil budget, fully independent. And uh, It was David versus Goliath cuz like and there's a similar movie to that that just came out too called Melania. Where Similar [laughter] to that. Very similar. So, Melania Trump, like obviously a forgotten a forgotten about
1:47 first lady. She released a movie and it just made like $8 million at the box office, which is like that's crazy. It never happened before, I guess. That's what people are saying. And so, yeah, it did really well. and so people are like, "Wow, we should expand it to more theaters because of not coercion, but because it's so good and and popular." The next day his movie was removed from the box office charts with no explanation. What? Wait, what? Well, they needed to make more room for Milania, which is incredible if you haven't seen it. That's crazy. It's on Friday, the box office numbers I'm number one, right? I milked it a lot. I said it, it was very funny. I knew the same frame of his movie was going to pass me eventually by the end of the weekend, but I was like, "Haha, I'm number one." But then, I didn't see this yesterday, but here's Saturday's. So this Saturday, right? I swear I was on this list.
2:38 But Iron Lung isn't here anymore. There's no numbers for Iron Lung. They took me off the chart. And I thought, "Hey, maybe that's a fluke." Maybe there's something wrong, but but here's Sunday. I wake up this morning, which reports the day before's numbers. I'm just I'm gone. I'm not even I'm not even above Hamnett. I'm I'm nowhere. Zootopia is back up here. Avatar is up here. Milania is up here. I I feel like I should just Like maybe I'd be fine with here. I'd be fine with being on the chart. Why'd you take ME OFF THE CHART? You know, YOU KNOW, LIKE I DESERVE to be on the chart. Dude, that's messed up, huh? Milania's a scrappy little indie. Damn it, Steve. [laughter] Well, what? It's a scrappy little indie just trying to do what it can. And that's what's so impressive about it. Wow, that's crazy. Why do you think that is?
3:28 >> obviously Do you want Do you want Do you want to know this or do you want to know the B plot of the Milania bit that he's running? [laughter] There's no bit. What's the bit? Wait, what's the bit? I don't get the bit. So what happened is So it did disappear, but then it came back on like after a couple days. Do you think it was off the charts? That's why they they couldn't rate it? No, it was a big thing about how like Hollywood was trying to basically block him out. >> Yeah, so it was the studios, right? Yeah, it was the studios. They're trying to do the same thing to Mommy. >> [laughter] >> How did they How did they How did they get them out of the chart? Like like just like phone calls and just like I maybe they just took them off, yeah. Maybe they just didn't want the news to start catching that it was happening and that an independent film can like destroy an independent $3 million budget? Well, wait. No studio help? >> That's But that was like Paranormal Activity. No, way better. Way better. Trust me. No, Paranormal Activity had
4:20 like a six-figure budget. Yeah, but that wasn't made by a YouTuber. It was still a studio. And the upside was so the return was insane. So So it wasn't done in the same corporate ladder version of acceptability of Hollywood industry? Is Is that what we're saying right now? So every studio that had that he almost was able to work with, they all like passed on it. That's what I'm saying. So So is the theory that like Hollywood in its great and evil glory was like, "No, we can't have this." So they took him off the chart. Yeah, but Paranormal Activity couldn't be ignored. It was so big. Like I'm telling you like they they spent like what? Like ████ under 100k on it? It'd have to be so undeniable that you couldn't brush it. Is Was Paranormal indie indie? Yeah. Like there was no studio? Not even for distribution or anything? >> No, later, yeah. But they produced it themselves, so they owned it. And then
5:11 they sold it, and then they made ████ ████ loads because they the profit was so insane. Like I'm talking about like they ████ made like 200x what they put into it. Like it was insane. They had $15,000 as a production budget, Paranormal. It looks like a $15,000 >> Yeah, but they did such a good job selling it. They did roughly 215,000 including post-production and generating over 193 million in global box office. >> 193 million. >> So estimated 700,000% return. Insane. So exactly it's insane. Like that was one of the most like that was one of the best stories ever told about Hollywood. But Blair Witch was the same thing. It was like small budget That was great. >> great story >> Then why slow something like this down? >> Because it's it's YouTube versus traditional media. So the fact that that you know like there's always been a war between YouTubers making it making
6:01 success in this space. That's what it's believed. There's no proof that that's what they did. >> Oh, but it kind of makes sense because with all the movies in the past, it's still a movie. It still can be distributed and bought by the old networks. >> The difference is that a lot of these YouTubers are sitting there with 30 40 50 million in audience and they think they can't make a movie. That is so true. >> Now they can and it's proven and he's like a really really good example of like okay, we don't need these like studios to like give us money or fund it or whatever. And they're just going to do it. >> make this movie cuz cuz of me I paved the roads and ████ like that all that ████ I made the roads for you, brother. I made all these YouTube movies before you did, dude. So you couldn't even ████ move your wheels on the roads not for me. Thanks. And Melania. By the way my favorite thing about Melania Did you watch it? >> No.
6:51 This my favorite thing about it is the reviews are like she just puts on makeup and like talk sometimes. >> [laughter] >> Like it's apparently It's apparently very bad. It It's like a day in the life, I guess. >> Is it a documentary? >> Yeah, she's like getting on helicopters and putting on makeup and like talking to camera bare >> Who's like watching that as like a ████ Maga people obviously just Maga people. That's it or people who worship those guys. >> Is there even any Maga anymore? I feel like splintered >> it's like 10% left. >> 30% of the Maga base is probably left as diehards, but yeah. So that movie actually broke the record of the most blood use. 80 80,000 gallons. Whoa. More than Blade? >> Yeah, more than Blade. I haven't seen it, but the story is it's like about the Iron Lung is I guess some kind of like a underwater craft that Uh, it's like swimming through a
7:41 sea of blood on another planet or something. >> Woah. Uh, so the uh, he hasn't decided yet on if he's going to do another film. Uh, he's not bitter towards all the studios and execs that passed on the project. >> He's made tons of bread in his life. Sure, yeah. He doesn't Yeah, he really did it as like this is something I want to do for passion, yeah. That is that's crazy. Yeah, and it's cool that he's not It's funny cuz like when they ask him like who who like passed or who said no, like he doesn't want to put anybody out. He's He's actually such a freaking nice guy. >> Jesus called it, but he wouldn't have got there if I didn't make those roads. You're so dumb. I love when people do that. I don't know why I love it. And then he uh, so he but he said he is willing to work with a studio in the future if they give him an unlimited budget and no notes. That's the tough part. No notes? >> Well, the trick to no notes is
8:31 if you're early enough, they don't give a ████ about the notes. They care about who's attached. Or a small enough studio, yeah. >> you get enough nummies attached, they What the notes? Oh. HBO just ████ kicked George R. R. Martin off of House of Dragon season 2 type ████ a couple years ago or whatever. >> Frank Darabont got kicked off of his own show. AKA the most famous show the zombie zombie show. What's the zombie show? Walking Dead. First season. He killed it with that show and then they kicked his ass out of there. >> George R. R. Martin was the writer of the story. But we're talking about Frank Darabont, the director of Shawshank Redemption. They kicked his ass out, which is insane. But yeah, Like it's Cuz they could save more money with their own people. And they control it more. They don't And that's But then also their own people, they want to keep their job, so they got to make notes. They can't go this is amazing. It
9:21 doesn't need anything. >> Dude, exactly. But the studios also have to wake up eventually when they realize their f███-ups are It's like the Star Wars thing. It's like them wanting to do a a uh, they want to follow up on Star Wars as if like the whole last three episodes, aka the first three or whatever ████ They're doing the same thing with a sequel to Game of Thrones, actually. They're doing it They confirmed like today or whatever. They're cool. >> Seven Kingdoms. >> wait to see Bran as the king. It's It's supposedly years later, but they they are doing a follow-up a sequel to the actual story of Game of Thrones. >> Yeah, the story that we left off. >> Because and they're hoping that the sentiment of it gets cleared because the audience ████ hated the season series finale. >> They better bring back Peter Dinklage, number one and number two. And then they better like start ████
10:11 digging deep on who they're bringing back after that cuz who's even left? Jon Snow? Arya? Arya? Sansa? Yeah. Sansa says she doesn't want to do no more Game of Thrones. What do you think of What do you think of the angle that uh this movie is more threatening now because you know like when Paranormal came out, the movie industry was pretty healthy. I I guess you could say that. But people are have a really interesting angle about how it's a bigger threat now because the movie industry is kind of hurting. And I also think with Paranormal when that came out, it was almost like pro indie. Like cool, like just do the little indie projects come out. But YouTube versus movie, I feel like there's a like a rivalry going on. >> I actually think it's very It's much simpler than this and it's an unfortunate thing, but it really has nothing to do with what you're talking about. It has more to do with that they weren't involved with it. So to them it's irrelevant because they
11:01 had nothing to do with it. Like so so they're to them it's uninteresting and and should be with discarded because they didn't make it. Like you said, he made it himself. And so like that's the affront to them. They had nothing to do with it whatsoever. >> Then how come they didn't do that with Paranormal? It It was It was an undeniable success. >> Or Blair Witch? >> It was a runaway. So you're talking about two in in two decades. Like runaway successes. And then didn't you say though they were still picked up and distributed by studios like after a certain amount of time? No, they before. Like Blair Witch doesn't get distributed without a studio. They they got There's a reason why the director of Blair Witch Was his issue the fact that it was growing without even a distribution studio? If the if the fans are calling the theaters themselves. That might be But he that's what I'm saying. So he that's what I think.
11:51 >> He has he has 38 million subscribers by the way, just on YouTube. >> if this creates an avalanche effect where other like giant scale creators on things like YouTube want to create movies or whatever then they do it in the same likeness, sure. But to them you shouldn't have that power. Like a Taylor Swift being like I'm going to redo all my masters and then artists today being like I'm going to go independent. I want to hold on to my stuff. Like if there is enough of momentum that's created in the industry afterwards, sure. But I think if like them doing these actions and then like other people are still like too scared to do something without partnering up with like a mega studio and nobody does like the fight the the man after this and I think they the studios probably will just succeed. Yeah. Cuz like what's our response as the regular person, right? I'm I'm somebody who like doesn't know ████ about this creator or this movie. I hear this story and I'm like whoa, that's
12:41 crazy. What do I want to do? Low key, illegally stream the movie just to know what's up. Am I going to suddenly like protest and go to the movie theaters and try to pay full price and hope that it's at my local theater. I I think Like you did with Final Destination? >> [laughter] >> But our response though is already measured, right? Like our response is we went and saw Avatar fire and ash. And they made a billion dollars, right? So like this isn't that. It's just that they weren't involved so they hate it. They hate that they weren't involved. That's all it is. I guarantee you that's what it is. I don't I'm not I'm not giving you anything by the way. Oh, because I made movies and ████ I'm just telling you the psychology of ████ is so clear as a ████ >> think a mid or lower studio though might wake up and be like, hmm all of our regular produced ████ in the last year like cost us 10 million and made us negative 2 million. Let's just
13:32 take a chance. I mean a lot of expensive films have been whiffing lately though. Well, that's what but that's what Blumhouse has done, right? Like Blumhouse is all about that. They're about the the small budget indie horror-ish sci-fi ████ So like there's a model for that now and this kind of fits that but but he didn't need those cats. So like those cats are even against him. That's what I'm saying. Oh, like so all the way through the >> totem pole they're just like Like yeah, no, you you shouldn't you don't belong here, brother. Like it's like you moved into like our racial neighborhood, dude. Like Don't get the mail in except at night with a hoodie on, brother. >> [laughter] >> I think I think if in this moment you guys wanted to pick up you guys' script where you left off, you have a chance. By the way, I agree but I also think that we're going to get to make it cheaper in like ████ two years with AI and we're
14:24 going to be able to do it like never before. >> you go into the market where everybody's doing the same. So you it's just it's just a matter of sticking out out of like 1 million people or sticking out in 10,000 people. You want to close off your Melania sub story? It's an underdog story. All right, we're done. >> [laughter] >> That's good. It's an underdog story.
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