In the Roman Catholic Church, the term "Francis effect" was used to describe the perception that the more inclusive Pope Francis, who arrived in 2013, would revitalize the faith and encourage people to return to church services. On Monday, the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 led to a different type of impact – a significant increase in viewership for Conclave, a film directed by Edward Berger that won an Oscar. The movie explores what occurs in the Vatican when church leaders are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel to select the next pope.
Following Pope Francis’ passing, the streaming viewership for Conclave rose by 283 percent, moving from 1.8 million minutes watched on April 20 to 6.9 million minutes watched on Monday, as reported by the analytics firm Luminate. During the same period, Netflix’s The Two Popes witnessed a 417 percent increase in viewership, escalating from 290,000 minutes to 1.5 million minutes.
These figures, to some extent, are anticipated. Conclave was already a favored movie after its release last year and its eight Oscar nominations, including a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. The forthcoming real-life conclave at the Vatican has further magnified attention on the film. In parallel, The Two Popes portrays Pope Francis himself, highlighting his relationship with his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Although the numbers are remarkable, Luminate has observed similar spikes following other significant news events, according to spokesperson Jimmy Harney. For instance, when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump announced JD Vance as his running mate during the Republican National Convention last year, viewership for Netflix’s Hillbilly Elegy, based on Vance’s memoir, surged by 1,180 percent. Similarly, when news emerged that Vice President Kamala Harris was expected to be the Democratic presidential candidate, US viewership for HBO’s Veep increased by 353 percent.
Theoretically, the viewership for Conclave could rise even further in the coming days. On Monday, due to complex agreements governing the modern streaming landscape, viewers needed to rent or purchase the movie to watch it, costing between $6 and $20 on Amazon Prime Video. On early Tuesday, the film became available for streaming to Prime members.
After the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, many Catholics worldwide entered a state of mourning, and several news outlets noted the timeliness of Conclave. The film presents a dramatized portrayal of high-profile cardinals vying to become the next pontiff through the secretive conclave process.
Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled to take place in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday. Cardinals from globally are traveling to Italy to attend. Subsequently, they will participate in the conclave—a term meaning "with key" in Latin—that denotes they will be locked inside the historic church while deliberating, forbidden from using communication devices or engaging with the outside world. Approximately 135 out of the 250-member College of Cardinals, the church’s senior clergy, under the age of 80, will participate in the election process.
According to Luminate data, other films centered around papal themes, such as Netflix’s Pope Francis biographic series Call Me Francis, have not yet experienced similar viewership increases. It appears audiences may need time to rekindle their interest in Catholic-themed content.
