(NewsNation) — Viewership of the Oscar-winning film “Conclave” is on the rise following the death of Pope Francis.
According to streaming tracker Luminate, Conclave was viewed for about 1.8 million minutes Sunday and 6.9 million minutes the following day — an increase of 283%, The Guardian reported.
Francis died of a stroke at age 88 on Monday. It appeared to have sparked interest in Edward Berger’s political thriller, which explores the process of electing a new pope following the death of the sitting pontiff.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s “The Two Popes” saw viewership spike by 417% over the same period, increasing from 290,000 minutes to 1.5 million minutes, according to Luminate.
The Vatican opened St. Peter’s Basilica to the general public Wednesday to pay final respects to Francis. The pontiff’s body will lie in state at the basilica until Saturday’s funeral and burial. The service will be held at 4 a.m. ET in St. Peter’s Square.
President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend the funeral, and Argentine President Javier Milei‘s attendance is expected. Vice President JD Vance will not be there, a White House official told NewsNation.
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As Catholics mourn Francis, many are wondering who the next earthly leader of the Catholic Church will be. Even though cardinals don’t campaign for the job, there are always front-runners going into a conclave to choose the next pope. At least seven cardinals are being discussed as “papabile” to succeed Francis.