Pope Leo takes break from saving souls to try to save movie theaters

Calling film "a workshop of hope," the pope urged theatrical institutions not to give up on the cinematic experience.

By William Hughes | November 15, 2025 | 2:31pm

Yes, that's the pope getting a custom Knicks jersey from Spike Lee. It's a funny ol' world. Photo: Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Film News Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo takes break from saving souls to try to save movie theaters

In what we can only assume has been a significant financial windfall for the Vatican’s various popcorn sellers and slingers of a Milked Dud, the pope is on a bit of a movie kick at the moment. Earlier this week, the pontiff revealed his four favorite films—none of which, we’ll note with sad frustration, involved any instances of John Wick killing guys in nicely tailored suits because they hurt his dog—ahead of a speech he was giving to various Hollywood A-listers. Today, that speech turned out to speak less from the Gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew, or John, and more from The Book Of Tom Cruise And Christopher Nolan—because Pope Leo XIV really wants to save the movie theater, y’all.

Speaking in front of a group that included (per Deadline) Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig, Julie Taymor & Elliot Goldenthal, Azazel Jacobs, David Lowery, Monica Bellucci, Marco Bellocchio, Alba Rohrwacher, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee, Judd Apatow & Leslie Mann, Chris Pine, Sally Potter, Dave Franco & Alison Brie, Adam Scott, Kenneth Lonergan & J. Smith Cameron, Joanna Hogg, Gaspar Noe, Albert Serra, and Bertrand Bonello, the pope spoke of movie-making in genuinely eloquent terms, calling the art “hope in motion,” and praising it as a fundamentally collaborative process.

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But also, dang, the box office sure is in the toilet lately, huh? “Nonetheless, cinemas are experiencing a troubling decline,” the pope added, “With many being removed from cities and neighborhoods. More than a few people are saying that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value of this activity.” This is also, as far as we are aware, the first time the Holy See has ever directly addressed “the algorithm,” saying that,

The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what “works,” but art opens up what is possible. Not everything has to be immediate or predictable. Defend slowness when it serves a purpose, silence when it speaks and difference when evocative. Beauty is not just a means of escape; it is, above all, an invocation. When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us and sometimes even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express.

Oh, and the pope is also officially a “Turn off your fucking phone in the theater” guy. (Uh, our phrasing, not his.)

Entering a cinema is like crossing a threshold. In the darkness and silence, vision becomes sharper, the heart opens up, and the mind becomes receptive to things not yet imagined. In reality, you know that your art form requires concentration. Through your productions, you connect with people who are looking for entertainment, as well as those who carry within their hearts a sense of restlessness and are looking for meaning, justice and beauty. We live in an age where digital screens are always on. There is a constant flow of information. However, cinema is much more than just a screen; it is an intersection of desires, memories and questions. It is a sensory journey in which light pierces the darkness and words meet silence. As the plot unfolds, our mind is educated, our imagination broadens, and even pain can find new meaning.