A tragic moment in history for Catholics has ironically become the most well-timed, naturally occurring marketing scheme for Conclave. Viewership of the film rose 283 percent on the day of Pope Francis's death, and the general public may not be the only ones responsible for it.
An anonymous cleric informed Politico that real cardinals have been watching Conclave as a means to prepare for the real-life conclave that begins today. "Some have watched it in the cinema," he revealed.
Since most of the cardinals who made their way to the Vatican were appointed by Pope Francis, they hadn't participated in a conclave before this one. According to the anonymous source, Conclave is seen as an accurate portrayal of the secretive process, even by cardinals' standards.
Revisit our review of Conclave.