Following the passing of Pope Francis on Monday, streaming platforms have seen a significant spike in viewership for two popular papal films: Conclave and The Two Popes.
According to data from Luminate, the films’ streaming numbers have surged, reflecting a wave of interest in the pontiff’s life and the papal election process.
Between April 20 and April 21, Conclave, an Oscar-winning film from Focus Features, saw a dramatic increase of 283% in U.S. streaming viewership. On April 20, the film accumulated 1.8 million minutes watched, and on April 21, it reached 6.9 million minutes.
Directed by Edward Berger, Conclave offers a fictionalized account of the papal election following a pope’s death, with Ralph Fiennes starring as a key cardinal involved in the process.
The film, which won an Oscar this year for Peter Straughn’s Adapted Screenplay, became a global hit, grossing over $115 million worldwide on a $20 million production budget. Its viewership numbers reflect a surge of interest after Pope Francis’ death, surpassing the average daily viewership by over 5 million minutes compared to the previous week.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s The Two Popes, a 2019 film about the transition from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis, also saw its U.S. viewership spike by 417% over the same period.
The movie, which starred Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict, had 290,000 minutes watched on April 20 and surged to 1.5 million minutes watched on April 21. The film earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Pryce and Supporting Actor for Hopkins.
These increases in streaming numbers highlight the public’s ongoing interest in the papacy, especially in light of Pope Francis’ passing, as viewers turn to films that explore the church’s leadership and history.
