After the Pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals, under the leadership of Dean Thomas Lawrence, convenes to elect his successor. The four leading candidates are Aldo Bellini of the United States, a liberal in the vein of the late Pope; Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative; Joseph Tremblay of Canada, a moderate; and Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a staunch traditionalist.
Janusz Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, claims the late Pope demanded Tremblay's resignation on the night he died, which Tremblay denies, while Bellini tells his supporters his goal is to prevent Tedesco from becoming Pope. Meanwhile, Lawrence is surprised by the last-minute arrival of Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul, whom the late Pope named cardinal in pectore the previous year.[a]
Lawrence gives a homily encouraging the college to embrace uncertainty, which some interpret as a declaration of his papal ambitions. Following the first ballot, no one obtains the required two-thirds majority, though Adeyemi has a slight edge and Bellini and Lawrence split the liberal vote. Raymond O'Malley, Lawrence's assistant, compiles background information on Benitez, during which he learns the late Pope paid for his plane ticket to Geneva for a canceled medical appointment.
On the second day, while breaking for lunch, the college witnesses a confrontation between Adeyemi, who leads in the votes, and Sister Shanumi, a nun recently transferred from Nigeria to Vatican City. Lawrence privately speaks with Shanumi, who confesses to an illicit relationship that led to the birth of a son. Though Lawrence is bound to secrecy, a whisper campaign derails Adeyemi's candidacy. Bellini reluctantly decides to back Tremblay.
Working with Sister Agnes, the nun overseeing the cardinals' accommodation, Lawrence discovers Tremblay arranged for Shanumi's transfer. When confronted, Tremblay claims that he did so at the late Pope's request. Lawrence then breaks into the late Pope's quarters and discovers documents that indicate Tremblay committed simony. He shows the documents to Bellini, whose plea not to reveal their existence sparks an argument.
On the third day, after revealing Tremblay's actions to the college, Lawrence reconciles with Bellini and agrees to oppose Tedesco, deciding to take the papal name of "John" if elected. During the sixth ballot, a suicide bomber attacks Rome, killing many and damaging the Sistine Chapel, and knocking Lawrence to the floor just after he has cast his vote (this time voting for himself). Tedesco angrily blames Islamists and moral relativism, calling for a religious war, while Benitez says violence should not be met with violence. The college overwhelmingly elects Benitez on the seventh ballot, and he chooses the papal name of "Innocent".
Though Lawrence is initially enthused, O'Malley informs him of the nature of Benitez's canceled medical appointment. When Lawrence confronts him, Benitez reveals that he is intersex and had been due to have a laparoscopic hysterectomy at a Swiss clinic. He stated that growing up, he had been unaware that he was different from other men until it was discovered that he had a uterus and ovaries during an appendectomy in his late thirties. He ultimately chose to keep his female organs, stating, "I am what God made me." Lawrence wanders the grounds of the Vatican as the crowds cheer Innocent's election.
Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Aldo Bellini, an American liberal. Bellini's previous failure to gain election despite being the early favorite is based on Carlo Maria Martini's experiences during the 2005 papal conclave.[8]
John Lithgow as Cardinal Joseph Tremblay, a Canadian moderate
The set designers took great care to replicate the Sistine Chapel, though they took some artistic license with the Domus Sanctae Marthae. They made their set more prison-like to enhance dramatic tension because they felt that the real version was rather dull. Costume designers visited Gammarelli, Tirelli Costumi, and several museums in Rome as part of their research. For the cardinals' red attire, costume designer Lisy Christl opted for a hue used in 17th-century cardinal vestments, rather than one from modern-day ones, believing it be "far more beautiful and far easier for our eyes".[13]
While writing the screenplay, Straughan said that he met with a cardinal to discuss the logistics of the conclave. He also took a private tour of the Vatican, and said he did not feel hostility while there and felt that the Vatican had been open to him.[13]
Due to many characters sharing scenes in the film, Bertelmann chose to create themes for specific situations as opposed to themes for individual characters.[16] In addition, he had string players use a ricochet bowing technique.[14] In order to mirror the film's conflicting factions within the cardinals, Bertelmann sometimes incorporated polyrhythms, such as triplets against sixteenth notes.[14]
In November 2023, Focus Features acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[19] In July 2024, Conclave was announced as part of the Special Presentations section for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 8, 2024.[20][21] The film would subsequently be announced as part of the lineup for the Telluride Film Festival, where it had its world premiere.[22]Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera explained why the film did not play at Venice: "I didn't think it was a Competition film for Venice but I invited it Out of Competition. We tried to figure out timing for it to play here and at Telluride, which they also wanted, but we couldn't find the right dates and timing for it to work. We discussed various options but couldn't get the time that suited everyone. It's a shame."[23]
The film was released in the United States on 25 October 2024.[24] It was previously scheduled for a limited theatrical release on 1 November before opening wide on the following week.[25] It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November.[1]
Reception
Box office
As of January 24, 2025[update], Conclave has grossed $31.8million in the United States and Canada, and $50.6million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $82.4million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada, Conclave was released alongside Venom: The Last Dance, and was projected to gross $4–6 million from 1,753 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] The film made $2.5 million on its first day, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.6 million, finishing in third.[26] The film is aimed at significantly older audiences, 77% of the demographic was over 35 years old, the biggest demographic group being over 55 at 44%, and 67% Caucasian.[27][28] The film then made $5 million in its second weekend (dropping 23.7%)[29] and $4.1 million in its third weekend (dropping just 18.1%), finishing in fourth and sixth place, respectively.[30]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 296 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Carrying off papal pulp with immaculate execution and career-highlight work from Ralph Fiennes, Conclave is a godsend for audiences who crave intelligent entertainment."[31]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[32] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 84% overall positive score, with 62% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[27]
The film's cinematography and ensemble cast received praise.[33][34][35][33] However some criticism was met for the plot,[36] with Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times calling it "a pretty thin and silly mystery ... that seems like it's deeper than it actually is".[37]IndieWire's David Ehrlich agreed that the film was "very silly but wonderfully staged ... even if the film might be a bit too convinced of its own dramatic import".[38] The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips praised the film's "delicious portraits in pursuit, deceit and evasion".[39]
Mark Kermode praised the film for its thoughtful and respectful portrayal of the papal election process. He highlighted the strong performances, particularly by Fiennes, and appreciated the film's ability to create suspense and intrigue without resorting to sensationalism. He also noted the film's nuanced exploration of the Catholic Church's future and its internal politics, which he found compelling and well-executed.[40]Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said that the film rightly portrayed "both the seriousness of [the conclave] process and the campy ridiculousness of it", and thought that the film "touch[es] fingers with prestige greatness while keeping its feet firmly planted in the realm of rollicking entertainment".[41]Manohla Dargis of The New York Times noted that the film's stance towards the Roman Catholic Church mirrors Hollywood's own stance towards its film industry: "lightly cynical, self-flattering and finally myth-stoking".[42]
Lawson called the twist "reckless" and insufficiently thought through,[41] while Variety's Peter Debruge called it "one of the most satisfying twists in years, a Hail Mary that both surprises and restores one's faith (maybe not everyone's, but certainly that of the disillusioned)".[43]
John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News said about Conclave that "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change". He warned that "all moviegoers committed to the church's creeds will want to approach this earnest, visually engaging but manipulative—and sometimes sensationalist—production with caution".[6] The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Angelus magazine complimented several of the actors' performances but dismissed the film, writing that "The problem here is not that it is full of bias against the Catholic Church. The problem is that it is just plain bad. ... At the crucial moment, [Benitez] gives a speech so full of platitudes it could have been written by ChatGPT."[47] On the other hand, the progressive non-catholic National Catholic Reporter praised the film, calling it "a compelling and ecclesial call for a renewed spiritual stewardship characterized by humility, meekness, and, curiously, doubt".[48]
Kate Lucky of Christianity Today, an evangelical publication, called the film "gorgeous" and "riveting", and said that "though the film subtly advances progressive convictions, it gives cardinals of all ideological persuasions equal opportunity to fall short".[49] Conversely, the Bishop of Winona–Rochester, Robert Barron, dismissed it as Oscar bait and termed it "a film about the Catholic Church that could have been written by the editorial board of The New York Times".[50]
Online comparisons were also made to media such as Mean Girls, while the "elimination" of the various cardinals in the film was compared to reality television shows like Survivor or The Bachelor. Also noted were memes comparing the characters in the film to real life figures such as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the two major candidates in the 2024 United States presidential election, which took place days after the film's U.S. release.[51]
Many of these outlets took note of the apparent contradiction that a film that "might be [for] retired folks catching a weekday matinee" was popular in meme culture.[53] Some critics, such as The New York Times critic Esther Zuckerman, theorized that the film resonated with social media users because "These men of the cloth are just as chaotic and messy as the backstabbers of reality television and prime-time soap operas" and that memes "thrive on high drama", which the film contained.[51]
^Under canon law, it would have been illegal for Benitez to attend, as in pectore appointments end with the Pope's death unless the Pope publicly announces the appointment. The novel attributes Benitez's presence to a recent change in the law, although the film does not mention the change.[6]
^In the Catholic Church, the title of "Cardinal" formally goes between the titleholder's first and last names.[7]
^This award does not have a single winner, but recognizes multiple films.
^Perlman, Merrill (21 February 2012). "Cardinal Sins". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
^Hoepfner, Fran (15 November 2024). "That's So Conclave". New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 January 2025 suggested (help)
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