In a real meeting of Gen Z trends, the viral animated show The Amazing Digital Circus is now landing in Fortnite. Specifically, Jax and Pomni are set to arrive as skins, while Zooble will be included as a pickaxe—though, sadly, Gangle, who seemed the most enthusiastic about the crossover, never made it onto the Battle Bus.
The announcement trailer made it clear that this crossover was designed to fit smoothly, including a funny beat where Pomni is said to be too short for the game. Caine’s solution, naturally, was to stretch her out as if she were being extended. Even with the mismatch of characters in a third-person shooter (think Naruto using an AK-47), there’s still something appealing about seeing them show up in Fortnite. And Jax, Pomni, and Zooble’s role in the game feels like a natural continuation of their “trapped in a video game” nightmare premise—oddly enjoyable in a way that’s hard to pin down.
If you’re not up to speed on The Amazing Digital Circus, it’s an animated web series that has built a huge audience, thanks in large part to hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The pilot, released in late 2023 by Glitch Productions, has since topped more than 440 million views. It follows Pomni, a young woman who suddenly finds herself caught in a terrifying virtual reality circus. Pulling from a wide range of influences—such as the unsettling short story I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream and the eerie CGI anime Popee the Performer—the series’ mix of dark comedy and existential unease has clearly struck a chord with viewers.
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act, a theatrical outing that includes the series’ final two episodes, beat Scary Movie and Backrooms at its box office debut last Thursday. It brought in $7.8 million initially, then quickly blew past expectations with $36.6 million during opening weekend. The movie was first scheduled for a four-day limited run in the U.S. with Fathom Events, but the distributor has prolonged its theatrical schedule through June 18—only one day before the finale arrives on YouTube and Netflix. The film’s momentum points to a standout year of unexpected successes propelled by younger audiences, including the horror titles Obsession and Backrooms.
The Amazing Digital Circus’ series finale is set to premiere in June as a theatrical exclusive
The viral cult animated series has accumulated hundreds of millions of views on YouTube before being acquired by Netflix for streaming