“Conclave” records 3,200% increase in views and “Two Popes” returns to the top 10 of Netflix
The film productions that portray the Vatican, the Papacy, and the process of choosing a new pontiff recorded a significant increase in views after Pope Francis’ death on April 21. The films “Conclave”, available on Netflix’s Amazon Prime, and “Two Popes”, were some of the most watched titles on streaming platforms.
According to Luminate – an entertainment data provider – the film “Conclave” had an increase of 3,200% at the world audience during the week following the death of the pontiff.
In the last update provided by the company, on April 22, the film had reached 18.3 million minutes assisted.
The film arrived at the Amazon Prime Video on April 22, just a day after Francisco’s death, shortly after leaving the Peacock catalog, available only in the United States.
The 2024 film, directed by Edward Berger, won an Oscar for the best adapted script. Its plot revolves around the election of a new pontiff. The film begins with the death of the Pope, played by Bruno Novelli, portrayed as a reformist leader. The plot follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who coordinates the electoral process, showing the arrival of cardinals to the Vatican and the articulations between the religious to choose a consensus name to lead the Catholic Church.
The production, adapted from Robert Harris’s book, returned to theaters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro over the weekend following the death of the Catholic leader.
Already the film “Two Popes”, production of 2019 directed by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, also recorded an increase in his audience. The work portrays the relationship between Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), and his predecessor, Pope Benedict 16 (Anthony Hopkins), and returned to Netflix’s global top 10.
Data released by the platform show that the number of “Two Popes” viewers increased more than 2.900% compared to the previous week. From April 21 to 27, the film reached the platform in 27 countries, accumulating 3.2 million global views. It was the 7th most watched English movie worldwide on the platform.
“Two Popes” presents a meeting between then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, name of Baptism of Francis, and Pope Benedict 16 (1927-2022) at the Vatican. In the narrative, the pontiff reveals to the Argentine his desire to renounce and suggests that the cardinal could be a good successor, despite the reserves he kept about his performance in the Catholic Church.
The film was in 4th position among the feature films in Netflix Argentina, Pope Francis’ home country. In Italy, it was the 9th most watched. Despite the increase of spectators in general, the film did not appear in the Brazilian ranking.
The films, sought for showing an internal perspective on Vatican’s political dynamics, received recognition from the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences. In addition to the Oscar, “Conclave” beat 4 Baftas (British Academy Film Awards) – “British Oscar” – and 1 Golden Globe. “Two Popes,” winner of the Hollywood Film Awards, also received 3 Oscar nominations and 4 to Bafta.
