Anthony Hopkins‘ Oscar-nominated movie about the papacy is the latest to see a spike in viewership following Pope Francis’ pᴀssing. One of Britain’s most well-known and accomplished actors. Hopkins has received six Academy Award nominations over his illustrious career, including his first win for his menacing portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, despite only having 24 minutes of screen time. He won a second Oscar for playing an octogenarian with dementia in 2020’s The Father, becoming the oldest Best Actor winner at 83 years old.
Over the years, several movies have dealt with the papacy, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. In Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III (1990), Michael Corleone’s business affairs become linked to fictionalized accounts of two real-life events – the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981–1982. Most recently, the completely fictionalized Conclave, which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, explored the very real and highly secretive process of electing a new Pope.
The Two Popes Lands On Netflix’s Top 10 Chart
It Ranks 7th For The Week
The Two Popes has landed on Netflix’s Top 10 chart. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, with a script written by Anthony McCarten adapted from his own stage play, the 2019 Netflix film stars Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI, following the true story of his attempt to convince Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (the future Pope Francis played by Jonathan Pryce) to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop as he confides his own intentions to abdicate the papacy following the Vatican leaks scandal. The Two Popes cast also includes Luis Gnecco, Libero De Rienzo, and others.
Now, following Pope Francis’ pᴀssing on April 21, the film has seen a mᴀssive spike in viewership on Netflix. The Two Popes ranks seventh on Netflix’s Global Top 10 movies for the week of April 21–27 with 3.2 million views and 6.8 million hours viewed. It ranks below Havoc, Life or Something Like It, The Life List, Woody Woodpecker, Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror, American Sniper, and above Despicable Me 4, A Dog’s Way Home, and Back in Action.
The Two Popes is in Netflix’s Top 10 movies in 27 countries this week, including Italy and Pope Francis’ home country of Argentina.
What The Two Popes Landing On Netflix’s Top 10 Means For The Movie
It’s The Latest Pope Movie To See A Mᴀssive Spike In Viewership
The Two Popes is the latest movie to see a mᴀssive spike in viewership following Pope Francis’ pᴀssing. Conclave‘s viewership on Prime Video sH๏τ up 283%, and the Netflix film was even bigger at 417%. Following Pope Francis’ pᴀssing, a real conclave to elect the next pope will begin on May 7. While Conclave is completely fictionalized, The Two Popes actually features the future Pope Francis as a character which, following his pᴀssing, takes on a different context, becoming a more poignant reflection on his legacy, faith, and humanity, featuring Oscar-nominated performances from both Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins.
Source: Netflix
