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The death of Pope Francis has clinched "Conclave" as the defining movie of 2024

By Chris Morgan | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 11:21 AM ET

There is one film that comes to define every year. Sometimes it's exceedingly obvious, like "The Godfather" for 1972 or "Titanic" for 1997. Just a couple years ago, it became pretty clear before the year was even out that "Barbie" was the movie of 2023. Sometimes, the answer solidifies, or even changes, over time. In 1994, or even 1995, both "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump" seemed in the mix, but "Pulp Fiction" came to win out.

The year 2024, though, had been murky. The two movies that made a ton of money were the third Deadpool movie and "Inside Out 2." Neither was greeted with the warmest of reviews, either. The Best Picture winner, "Anora," was, at the time, the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in history. It's not like a bunch of people have suddenly made the effort to see it, either. The future fate of "Anora" is like that of a "Moonlight" or a "The Hurt Locker." Now, though, here in April 2025, the defining film of 2024 seems pretty clear, and it has emerged due to real-life events.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known to some as Pope Francis, died on April 21 at the age of 88. This, of course, means the Catholic Church needs a new pope. That process is literally the plot of 2024's "Conclave," the first film to give people a direct reference point for pope-electing matters. Social media saw its share of riffs and jokes related to Edward Berger's movie, bringing "Conclave" into the cultural moment.

Beyond the "life imitates art" of it all, "Conclave" was already one of the leading candidates for the film of 2024. It wasn't a huge hit, but it made $116.4 million worldwide, which was sizable for this year's Oscars crop. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes. "Conclave" was also already a favorite of social media denizens and meme aficionados, which was unexpected, but the reality.

It's perhaps a bit odd to think that, say, had Bob Dylan died instead of Bergoglio, "A Complete Unknown" may have grabbed the title of The Film of 2024. Of course, everything is just a reflection of the way events have played out. Until the next pope is elected, "Conclave" will be talked about more than any other movie of 2024.

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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