The death of Pope Francis on April 21 resulted in an increase of people watching the 2024 film “Conclave” from home. The movie is available on various PVOD platforms and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video at no extra cost to subscribers. The drama film revolves around the selection of a new pontiff.
“Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, is helmed by director Edward Berger and was an award season contender earlier this year, earning an Oscar nomination for best picture, best actor and numerous other kudos and noms. Pope Francis died early Monday — the day after Easter — at age 88 after complications from a stroke.
Viewership of “Conclave” spiked 283% on Monday as word of Pope Francis’ passing spread throughout the world, according to Luminate, which tracks viewership of streaming content. “Conclave” generated about 1.8 million minutes viewed on April 20; by the end of April 21, that number had reached 6.9 million minutes viewed.
Another Vatican-themed film, Netflix’s 2019 drama “The Two Popes,” also generated renewed interest. Viewership spiked 417% from Sunday, when it generated 290,000 minutes watched, to Monday, when it reached 1.5 million minutes watched.
The cast of “Conclave” was frequently asked about Pope Francis’ health during Oscar season, as the Pope was hospitalized for kidney failure in late February. It was during this period the “Conclave” cast attended the SAG Awards, where star Isabella Rossellini said on stage: “First of all, we would like to wish Pope Francis a quick recovery.”
“Pope Francis, I wish him well,” she added to press backstage, as co-star Sergio Castellitto added: “For us that live in Rome, to live at a few meters, few yards from the Pope is to have a much closer relationship. We see the helicopter leaving his place: ‘Oh, is the Pope flying off today and coming back!’ So, our relationship as Italians to the Pope is much closer. I repeat, I really wish him well.”
In the aftermath of Pope Francis’ death, several big names in Hollywood shared emotional tributes to him on social media. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese released a statement calling the Pope’s death an “immense” loss for the world.
“He was, in every way, a remarkable human being,” Scorsese wrote. “He acknowledged his own failings. He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good. He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague on humanity. So he never stopped learning. And he never stopped enlightening. And, he embraced, preached and practiced forgiveness. Universal and constant forgiveness.”
(Disclosure: Variety and Luminate share a common owner in PMC.)
From Variety US