Tom Hanks’ thrillerAngels & Demonsspikes in popularity after the pope’s death, and here’s what the Vatican said about theDa Vinci Codesequel. Dan Brown’s original story of a vast historical cover-up made for compelling – and controversial - reading back in 2003. With Oscar-winner Hanks in the role of dogged symbologist Robert Langdon,2006’sDa Vinci Codeadaptationwas a $760 million smash,spawning a 2009 sequel that saw Hanks returning to take on the Illuminati.
What This Means For Angels & Demons
The Pope’s Death Has Spurred Several Movies On To Bigger Streaming Numbers
The immediate aftermath of the pope’s death saw an understandable surge in interest in Vatican-related streaming content. The2024 Oscar-nomineeConclavereceived the biggest boost, seeing a 283% increase in viewership the day after Pope Francis’s passing. Anthony Hopkins’The Two Popessaw a similar increase in streaming popularity.
What The Vatican Said About Angels & Demons
Howard’s Film Got Mixed Reviews From The Church
A conspiracy theory about Jesus and Mary Magdalene features prominently inThe Da Vinci Code, so it’s no shock that the film was condemned by the Vatican upon its release. But the church’s disapproval only spurred more interest in the 2006 movie, so when its sequel was released three years later,the Vatican changed tactics, staying silent so as not to give the film even more publicity.
Only after the movie’s Rome premiere, the Vatican City newspaperL’Osservatore Romanopublished a pair of editorials, critiquing the film itself, while discussing the wider implications of author Brown’s popularity (viaReuters). As a work of film,Angels & Demonswas called both “ephemeral” and “gripping,” with “splendid” camera work and “dynamic and alluring” direction by Howard.
Howard claimed the church deliberately hamperedAngels & Demons’ Rome filming, forcing some scenes of the Vatican to be recreated in Los Angeles.
The other of the two post-premiere editorials looked at the film as part of a larger discussion about Catholic Church messaging, saying that “It would probably be an exaggeration to consider the books of Dan Brown an alarm bell,” but adding, “maybe they should be a stimulus to re-think and refresh the way the Church uses the media to explain its positions on today’s burning issues.”
Angels & Demonsinspired plenty of reaction upon its release in 2009,and now fifteen years later, it’s enjoying a second life on streaming, due in part to real-life events.Da Vinci Codeauthor Brown’s works may not prove as enduring as the Bible, but they continue to enthrall for now, thanks in large part to their connections with the church, the papacy and the mystery surrounding both.
