Peacock Just Added One of the Best Movies of 2024

There’s a packed slate of movies hitting theaters in 2026, with some of the year’s most anticipated releases including Scream 7, Toy Story 5, and Wuthering Heights. It will likely be a while before those films move from the big screen to streaming homes, but audiences who missed some of the biggest movies of recent years can easily find them on streaming. That includes one of the best movies of 2024 after it arrived on Peacock this February.

Edward Berger’s political thriller Conclave is now streaming on Peacock. The movie, starring Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence as he organizes a conclave to elect the next pope and suddenly finds himself at the center of a conspiracy, joined the NBCUniversal streamer’s content catalog on February 13th, but it’s unclear how long its streaming stint on the platform will be. The movie originally premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival before sweeping the award circuit with British Academy Film Awards and Golden Globes wins, as well as eight Oscar nominations. On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Conclave holds a “Certified Fresh” distinction with a high 93% critic score. Its audience consensus sits at an impressive 86%.

Conclave Is a High-Quality Contender for One of the Best Movies of the Decade

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The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Conclave one of the top 10 films of 2024, but the movie also makes a strong argument for being one of the best movies of the 2020s so far. The movie pulls the curtain back on the secretive process of electing a new pope but moves beyond a simple, dry documentation of the ancient event by presenting a tense thriller that resembles a political drama, complete with backroom plotting, intense lobbying, and shifting alliances as Cardinal Lawrence uncovers scandals involving top candidates. The entire movie takes place over a 72-hour period within the Sistine Chapel, a timeframe that raises the stakes, leads to rapid character development, and perfectly emphasizes the intense pressure of the election process.

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Under Berger’s direction, the secrecy of the papal election becomes a claustrophobic and tense thriller, and every aspect of the movie heightens that. The normally grand Sistine Chapel, brought to life through stunning cinematography and production design, feels tight and oppressive, mirroring the intense, locked-in political conflict of the cardinals, and even Volker Bertelmann’s score feels haunting. Conclave also features standout performances, including a career-best from Fiennes and honorable mentions for Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow.

What’s New on Peacock?

February is a big month for Peacock subscribers as dozens of new titles join the NBCUniversal platform. Just prior to Conclave’s arrival on February 13th, a massive wave of arrivals on February 1st brought great additions like Coach Carter, Fences, The Longest Yard, Pride and Prejudice, Selma, and Straight Outta Compton, in addition to numerous others.

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