Pope Leo XIV has issued one of the strongest recent defenses of theatrical moviegoing, telling a gathering of Hollywood and international filmmakers at the Vatican that cinemas and theaters are “the beating hearts of our communities” and warning that the art of cinema and the shared experience of watching films are at risk of fading.
The audience in the ornate Clementine Hall brought together actors and directors including Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Pine, Monica Bellucci and Judd Apatow. The event formed part of the Vatican’s outreach to contemporary culture and underlined the new pope’s reputation as a committed film lover; Spike Lee even marked the occasion by presenting him with a custom New York Knicks jersey.
In a speech later published by Vatican outlets, Leo described cinema as “a popular art in the noblest sense,” saying films can help viewers examine their own lives and “set hope in motion.” He called theaters places where stories become an “intersection of desires, memories and questions,” and urged artists to make cinema an “art of the spirit,” willing to face themes such as violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and neglected conflicts without turning suffering into spectacle.
The pope linked his appeal to concerns about the health of theatrical exhibition. He noted that cinemas are disappearing from many neighborhoods and cited a “troubling decline” in moviegoing, encouraging public and private institutions to work together to uphold the social and cultural value of physical screens. His remarks came against a backdrop of post-pandemic box office revenues that remain below pre-2020 levels and a recent North American summer that ranked among the weakest for multiplexes, while he warned that algorithm-driven content risks squeezing out slower, more contemplative storytelling.
Artists in the room echoed parts of that message. Blanchett described sitting in the dark with strangers as a way to reconnect with what unites people, and Apatow said movie theaters are one of the few remaining spaces where large groups share an experience rather than consuming entertainment alone at home. Actress Leslie Mann spoke of leaving the audience feeling newly hopeful about her work, while Bishop Paul Tighe, a key Vatican organizer, stressed that cinema can entertain while still challenging viewers and giving them room for reflection.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, has been open about his cinephilia, recently naming favorites such as It’s a Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, Ordinary People and Life Is Beautiful, and reportedly watching the papal thriller Conclave before his election. His call to protect theaters aligns with concerns already voiced inside the industry, yet the structural pressures he identified — streaming competition, digital distraction and fragile theater economics — remain in the hands of studios, exhibitors and policymakers even as his speech lends moral weight to those arguing for the survival of the big-screen experience.
