The recent passing of Pope Francis has led to a remarkable increase in viewership for Ed Berger’s new film, Conclave, which explores the process of selecting a new pope. Simultaneously, Netflix’s The Two Popes, released in December 2019, is also experiencing a notable rise in popularity. Since the pope’s death on April 21 at the age of 88, the film has climbed to the top of the charts in over two dozen daily top 10 lists around the world.
Starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, and directed by Fernando Meirelles, The Two Popes delves into the lives of two influential leaders within the Catholic Church as they present their visions for its future. Although the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, it did not significantly drive viewership for Netflix upon its initial release.
An interesting detail is that Rideback, the production company behind The Two Popes, is managed by Dan Lin, who became Netflix’s head of film in 2024.
In the wake of Pope Francis’s passing, The Two Popes has begun appearing in the daily top 10 lists of several countries for the first time. The film has notably made the charts in a total of twelve countries, predominantly in Latin America, the pope’s birthplace, as well as in some European nations. The breakdown of these top 10 placements reveals a clear trend linked to the pope’s legacy.
| April 22nd | April 23rd | April 24th | April 25th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | – | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Bolivia | – | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Chile | – | – | 10 | 6 |
| Colombia | – | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | – | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Croatia | – | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Ecuador | – | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Guatemala | – | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| Honduras | – | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Hungary | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| Malta | – | – | – | 8 |
| Mexico | – | – | – | 8 |
| Nicaragua | – | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Panama | – | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Paraguay | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Peru | – | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Portugal | – | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Romania | – | – | 9 | 6 |
| Salvador | – | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Slovakia | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Slovenia | – | – | – | 8 |
| Spain | – | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Uruguay | – | – | – | 7 |
| Venezuela | – | – | – | 5 |
This pattern of heightened interest in certain titles following significant global events is not new. For instance, Netflix’s The Crown saw a resurgence in viewership after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, as many viewers sought to explore or revisit the critically acclaimed series. Likewise, Hillbilly Elegy experienced a spike in the Netflix US charts after JD Vance’s vice presidential nomination last year. It remains uncertain whether Netflix manipulates algorithms to favor certain titles during such events or if the increase is merely a natural result of heightened interest.
Initially, The Two Popes did not perform exceptionally well for Netflix. The platform did not disclose specific viewing statistics at the time of its release, which occurred before the implementation of daily top 10 lists and the current weekly global rankings. In those earlier days, Netflix only shared limited viewing data for its most popular titles, relying on an outdated 2-minute system for measuring viewership.
However, we can assess its performance from 2023 and 2024 through Netflix’s Engagement Reports. During this period, The Two Popes recorded 10.80 million viewing hours, translating to about 5.2 million views. For context, during the same timeframe, other films released in 2019 like Marriage Story garnered 7.2 million views, The Irishman received 28.7 million views, and Dolemite Is My Name had 3.6 million views. In the most recent Engagement Report, which tracks viewership from July to December 2024, The Two Popes was ranked as the 2,154th most-watched movie.
As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how the increased interest translates into actual viewing hours and views. The first engagement report for the first half of 2025, set to release alongside Q2 earnings in July, will provide further insights.
Are you thinking of rewatching The Two Popes on Netflix?
