When world-changing events unfold, the streaming statistics that follow tell their own fascinating tales about the way people are reacting, writes streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Five years ago as COVID-19 spread around the globe, so too did the popularity of Contagion, a film about a deadly pandemic.

Despite many people sick of being locked inside, thousands still flocked to a story they felt they could resonate with at a time of international uncertainty.

When the Queen died in 2022 there was a similar reception to Netflix’s hit drama series The Crown, which chronicles her life and the wider royal family.

The show skyrocketed back into the platform’s most watched shows as people wanted to learn more about the woman on the back of the coins in their pocket.

Now the phenomenon has happened once again, following the death of Pope Francis.

In the last few weeks streaming of the Oscar-winning film Conclave has soared by 283 per cent with almost seven million minutes watched globally.

It’s currently available on Amazon Prime Video, but subscribers will still have to pay a fee to rent or purchase it. It certainly hasn’t stopped them.

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Conclave tells the story of the highly secretive election of a new pope. 

Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence, one of the leaders chosen to oversee the vote and whose own conscience is thrown into turmoil after he stumbles across a string of secrets that could shake the foundation of the church itself.

It is fictional, but the writers of the film carried out deep research in order to make sure Conclave was in many ways accurate, albeit with some dramatic embellishments here and there.

Overall though it gets many of the processes and traditions of the election correct, giving viewers a glimpse inside the sequestered event and scoring itself the Oscar gong for best adapted screenplay in the process.

Much of the film centres around the political tug of war between two different factions of the church that see its future as either more progressive or traditional.

It is an interesting parallel with the discussions that have surrounded Pope Francis’ own controversial leadership of the church in recent weeks. Many have called his legacy a progressive one, though others have pointed out he did not change the church’s position on issues such as same-sex marriage, contraception, nor the doctrine that disallows women from becoming priests.

The politics of the church and of which direction it is heading fiercely play out in Conclave, with many of these very same issues debated by the fictional cardinals of the film.

Stanley Tucci plays Cardinal Bellini, one of the front-running candidates who is reluctant to take on the leadership but who feels obligated to offer a liberal voice to the ballot. His main competitor is Goffredo Tedesco (played by Sergio Castellito), an Italian traditionalist who believes the path forward is through an unwavering conservative stance.

Perhaps what the popularity of Conclave most comes down to though is how people just can’t resist a secret.

With the real-life conclave in the spotlight the intrigue surrounding the event is sky-high and its very private nature only increases curiosity.

While selecting the new pope, cardinals are locked inside the Vatican without any access to technology. No phones, no email, no messages. Electronic signals are even jammed to ensure total isolation. Not even newspapers are allowed in. It’s all designed to stop those voting from being influenced by the outside world. 

The only thing the public does get to see is the release of black smoke or white smoke. Black when there’s still no decision or white when a Pope is finally elected.

To be able to get some kind of look inside the highly secretive selection process has proven an offer that the world can’t resist and for many people Concalve is as close as they’ll get to knowing what actually happens behind those historic closed doors.