Pope Francis’ death on April 21st brought a sharp rise in viewers for the Edward Berger thriller, which portrayed the events following the fictional Pope’s death.
Earlier this year, the film won Best Picture at BAFTAS and was nominated for eight Oscars, and is available on Arz streaming platforms around the world. According to Luminate, which tracks streaming audiences, Conclave rose 283% to about 1.8m on April 20th and 6.9m the following day.
The Pope’s death from complications from stroke was announced early on Monday’s Easter. The news also appeared to have sparked a renewed interest in the two pontiffs of the 2019 Oscar nominees starring Jonathan Price and Anthony Hopkins.
The drama had 417% spikes from 290,000 on Sunday to 1.5 million minutes the next day.
Conclave’s awards campaign coincided with the Pope’s hospitalization for kidney damage in late February, and the cast, including Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci, were frequently asked about the bishop’s health.
Key Italian actors in the cast, Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castelitto, were particularly vocal in the admiration and concerns of Pope Francis.
“First of all, I hope Pope Francis recovers quickly,” said Rossellini as the cast won the Ensemble Award at the SAG Awards.
Castellitto added: “To be a few yards from the Pope because he lives in Rome and lives a few meters, is a closer relationship. We see the helicopter leave his place. So our relationship with the Pope is much closer.
Rossellini’s ex-husband, Martin Scorsese, was among many in the film industry who paid tribute to the Pope.
“He was incredible in every respect,” writes Scorsese. “He admitted his failure. He radiated wisdom. He radiated good. He had a commitment engraved in good. He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague against mankind.
Conclave was adopted by Peter Strafan from the novel by Robert Harris, whose script won a Bafta and an Oscar. Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence. After the Pope’s death, Lawrence must silence his own religious doubts and preside over the secret voting process to choose his successor.
