Inoxtag's documentary on his Everest ascent breaks records

In just 24 hours, the documentary recounting YouTuber Inoxtag's Everest climb and the year of preparation leading up to it reached 11 million views on YouTube. A considerable achievement for the 22-year-old. The feature-length film titled Kaizen, meaning “continuous improvement” in Japanese, instantly became the #1 trending video and garnered over 95,000 comments and more than one million likes. YouTube stated that these are exceptional numbers, marking one of the best launches in the platform's history in France, though they have not published a precise ranking.

Inoxtag's achievement doesn't stop there. The 2.5-hour film also premiered in cinemas in France, Belgium, Morocco, and Quebec. According to figures provided by its distributor, mk2, it drew a total of 350,000 moviegoers by Sunday. This is a stunning feat for content that was uploaded for free just a few hours later. Elisha Karmitz, MK2 Cinemas' general director, told Télérama that “such an event has never happened before, even globally.” A few days later, TF1 announced that the film will be available on its streaming platform TF1+ from September 28 and will air on TF1 on October 8, right after an episode of Koh-Lanta, one of the network's most-watched shows. Again, this is unprecedented for YouTube content.

Kaizen follows Inoxtag, a novice climber, who set out to conquer Everest, the highest peak in the world (over 8,800 meters), with one year of preparation. In a farewell video posted in early April, the content creator announced that he would disconnect from social media to focus on his ascent. While the film highlights issues such as overtourism, pollution, and the risks of the expedition, a wave of criticism hit the young influencer, accusing him of not sufficiently addressing these problems. Many environmentalists and mountaineers lamented the film's sanitized and commercialized portrayal of mountaineering, as reported by Libération. Others pointed to the lack of recognition for the Sherpas’ labor, these crucial mountain guides who represent a third of the deaths on the route to Everest's summit.

The high cost of this expedition has also stirred controversy. Inoxtag confirmed on the set of Quotidien that the trip cost €50,000 per person. This astronomical sum sparked criticism on social media, with some users accusing the YouTuber of giving “life lessons” through an ascent that only a small fraction of the population can afford. As for Inoxtag's fans, they eagerly await the next adventure the creator has in store. Inès Benazzouz, his real name, now boasts over eight million subscribers on YouTube, as well as 5.9 million on TikTok and 5.2 million on Instagram.