I have a confession.
I saw “Conclave”, the film, five times at the theater.
It is shocking, I know, at a time when the frequentation of the cinema was tanking, but it meant that I was well prepared for the real event of this week and the interior machinations of the cardinals who finally selected Robert Francis Prevost as the next Pope.
It also meant that I understood all of the media around him.
First of all, there is “Pope Crave”, a play on the popular counts “Pop Crave” X, which went from the sharing of the memes of film “Conclave” to the live report of the event itself.
Then there were Tiktok changes and Paris pools. Even Steve Kornack of NBC, another Improbable Gen Z icon, jumped into it, decomposing the conclave to its popular electoral coverage – signing khakis and all.
So why the enormous increase in interest in the real conclave – and the film?
Gen Z likes access, exclusivity and drama
At a time when social media and direct virtual access came to dominate politics, the film gave Gen Zers a fictitious overview of what could happen in camera – a foray into a ritual which, by design, is wrapped in secrets and pumps. When the real event took place, anyone who had seen the film could already feel on the secrets.
Some of the most affecting parts of the film are based on the humanity of its holy men: the line of the Cardinal of Ralph Fiennes, the dean of the “conclave”, is his growing detachment of his own faith. The factions are hidden, the purest men are mean and short, and the desire for power and institutional stability is a blinding force for some. These are certainly themes that resonate for young viewers who often joked by constantly saying at the time unprecedented.
And these themes resonated with the public: Conclave also emerged as a blow to the surprise box office, a show at a time when the great franchises and restarts of superhero waded. And, yes, he has raised his own dam of tiktok modifications – another brand of Gen Z.
The film amazed Gen Z for the real event
It is like knowing the catalog of Taylor Swift so well that you can spot Easter eggs in his new music – you will naturally be a big fan, notice the interior details and debate what all this means in the group cat.
The real conclave meant that, unlike dramas such as “succession” or “Game of Thrones”, the film has gone through reality; Gen Z entered with an acute and talkative understanding of what could happen in camera and was ready to speculate. This offered the opportunity to modify, publish and bet.
The film and the real event also arrived at important moments for Gen Zers. “Conclave” won from the steam box office to the 2024 elections, suggesting an appetite for a story contained in a high and tumultuous election; Yields at the film’s box office for Friday and Saturday following the elections both came over a million dollars. (I have not paid five individual views. As a sober and maximizing subscription, I am a member of AMC A-List, which allows me to see four films per month for a little less than $ 30.)
The appointment of a new pope occurs at a consecutive stage of life for many genres, even if the share of young Catholics in the United States is narrowed: many in the cohort of my age envisage marriage or have their first children. A new pope could dictate how much, if not at all, he chooses to be involved in his religion or to raise a child inside.
Now, ironically, we are in a world with a new Pope adapted to the age of generation Z: people are already going through their X account and find its political sockets. Welcome to the official era of the Pope.
Do you have a story to share on the conclave (real) or the “conclave” the film? Contact this journalist at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.
businessinsider
