The passing of Pope Francis on April 21 has spurred a surge in home viewership of Conclave, Edward Berger’s 2024 drama about the secretive process of selecting a new pontiff, as per reports.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video at no additional cost to subscribers, and available on other PVOD platforms, Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci and is based on an eponymous novel by Robert Harris. The film bagged an Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards.
According to viewership analytics firm Luminate, as reported by American media outlet Variety, Conclave saw a 283 per cent increase in viewership on the day of Pope Francis’ death. The film generated approximately 1.8 million minutes of watch time on April 20, a number that leapt to 6.9 million minutes by April 21, as news of the Pope’s passing was announced.
Pope Francis (88) died early Monday, the day after Easter, following complications from a stroke.
Interest in Vatican-themed dramas following the Pope’s death extended beyond Conclave. Netflix’s The Two Popes (2019), which explores the relationship between Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (later Pope Francis), also saw a surge in popularity. Viewership jumped 417 per cent in a single day, from 2,90,000 minutes on Sunday to 1.5 million minutes on Monday.
The health of Pope Francis had been a topic of conversation during this year's awards season, particularly among the cast of Conclave. The Pope had been hospitalised in late February due to kidney failure, prompting expressions of concern from the film’s stars during the SAG Awards.
“First of all, we would like to wish Pope Francis a quick recovery,” Isabella Rossellini said on stage during the ceremony.
In the wake of the Pope’s death, several Hollywood figures offered heartfelt tributes. Among them was acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, who shared an emotional statement online.
“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.”
