Death of Pope Francis Sparks Surge in Views for ‘Conclave’ Film

‘Conclave’ film becomes trending

Record viewership minutes after the announcement

Global curiosity about the Vatican rises

The death of Pope Francis, which occurred on Monday, April 21, had an unexpected impact on the world of entertainment.

According to Variety, the film Conclave saw a 283% spike in views on pay-per-view platforms.

The movie, starring Ralph Fiennes and directed by Edward Berger, explores the secrets of the Vatican following the death of a pope and the power struggles among cardinals during the conclave.

Data from the audience-tracking platform Luminate showed that Conclave reached 1.8 million streaming minutes on April 20.

Death of Pope Francis boosts Conclave film

SHARP RISE IN VIEWERSHIP! ? Variety reports that views of Conclave surged by 248% on digital platforms following the death of Pope Francis. The BAFTA-winning film debuted as the #1 most-watched title on Prime Video in Mexico. pic.twitter.com/zn1mt4k58t

– Gaby Meza (@Gabymeza8) April 22, 2025

By the end of the following day, that number had skyrocketed to 6.9 million minutes.

The film is available on services like Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV, and it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor at major Hollywood awards.

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It also won Best Picture at the BAFTA Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG).

Another production that benefited from renewed global interest was The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles.

Death of Pope Francis Sparks Surge in Views for ‘Conclave’ Film – PHOTO: Shutterstock

This drama, which imagines a conversation between Pope Benedict XVI and Jorge Bergoglio before he became Pope Francis, saw a 417% increase in views.

On Sunday, it registered 290,000 minutes, and on Monday it reached 1.5 million.

According to Luminate, interest in Vatican-related stories surged immediately following the news of the Pope’s death.

Pope Francis passed away early Monday morning at the age of 88 due to complications from a stroke.

With information from EFE.