What Happens When The Pope Dies? This Oscar-Winning Movie Now Streaming On Prime Video Explains It Really Well -

If you’re curious about what transpires after the pope dies, the Oscar-winning film Conclave is an excellent movie to check out, and it’s now available on streaming. Pope Francis served as the head of the Catholic Church in the Vatican for over a decade before passing away on April 21, 2025. This is a significant world event, and while there’s plenty of information available online about how the process of selecting a new pope will go down, everything is better in movie form. 2024’s award-winning Conclave is worth watching.

Conclave was released in theaters on October 25, 2024, managing to be a surprise hit at the box office, grossing over $116 million on its $20 million budget. The film was also a winner at the Oscars, with a nomination for Best Picture at the March ceremony. Conclave’s cast features some of the world’s greatest actors, including Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List), Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet), and John Lithgow (Dexter). Edward Berger, the filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front, directed the movie.

Conclave Is A Movie About The Pope’s Death & It’s Now Streaming On Prime Video

Conclave Has Finally Hit Streaming For The First Time

Conclave, which won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2025 Oscars, has been praised by critics and audiences alike for several months, and it will be added to Amazon Prime Video’s movie library at 12:00 AM on 4/22/2025 (that’s late at night or early morning depending on how you look at it). The movie was released exclusively in theaters in the Fall of 2024 before hitting VOD services shortly after. This is the first time it will be available to watch for free, at least for those subscribed to Amazon Prime.

The movie releases at midnight for those in the US Eastern timezone. All one has to do is figure out their time zone based on their respective location and convert 12 AM ET, if you wish to watch it upon its release. That’s 9 PM Pacific Time, 5 AM Greenwich Mean Time, and so on. The film boasts a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 86% score from audiences as well.

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Conclave Provides A Great Explanation Of What Happens After The Pope Dies

Conclave Is Fictional, But It’s Respectably Accurate

A pope looking over a courtyard in Conclave — Focus Features

Conclave might be focused on fictional cardinals and a fictional election, but in terms of understanding the process, there’s no better option available. It’s a beautifully made film with powerful performances, beautiful production design, and excellent cinematography. While many movies will alter the facts for dramatic purposes, Conclave is fairly accurate in what occurs behind the scenes in the Vatican. To get an enjoyable education on what will be happening in the Sistine Chapel in the days following Pope Francis’s passing, it’s an exceptional option.