WhileThe Godfather Part IIproved itself to be just as critically successful as its predecessor, it surprisingly didn’t do as well at the box office. Inspired by the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo,The Godfathertrilogy depicted the lives of the Corleone mafia familyand their involvement in organized crime across the world. The first installment,The Godfather,looks at the family’s patriarch,Vito Corleone, and his complicated lifewith his family and criminal activities. The two sequels explore Michael Corleone’s rise to power and attempts to protect his family from his crimes.
Since the movies' release,The Godfatherfranchise has been ranked asone of the greatest movie trilogies of all time, with the first two movies being listed as some of the most successful movies ever made.The Godfather’scastincludes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro, who have all received Oscar nominations for their performances as members of the Corleone family.The Godfather Part IIwas seen as a significant improvement over the first movie, but surprisingly, the sequel didn’t fare as well financially at the box office upon its initial release.
The Godfather Grossed $270 Million (But Part II Only Made $57 Million)
The Godfather Part II Was Released Two Years After The Godfather
Released in theaters in March 1972,The Godfathergarnered universal acclaim, receiving high praise from critics for its depiction of mafia criminal activity, screenplay, directing, and performances.The Godfatherwon three Academy Awards in 1973,including Best Picture, and the role of Vito Corleone is consideredone of the best movies of Marlon Brando’s career. After a slow start, grossing around $302,000 on its opening weekend, the movie eventually grossed over $100 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo).The Godfathereventually earned $270 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 1972 (viaUltimate Movie Rankings).
Michael Corleone’s Worst Crime In The Godfather Movies Was Something Marlon Brando’s Vito Would Never Have Done
Of the many sins Michael Corleone commits in the Godfather movies, the worst is so bad that even Marlon Brando’s Vito wouldn’t have done it.
The Godfather’ssuccess resulted in the release ofThe Godfather Part IItwo years later, focusing on Michael Corleone stepping up as Don of the family and exploring Vito Corleone’s early life and his eventual rise as a crime boss in New York.The Godfather Part IIwas considered by critics to be as thrilling as the first movie; it won 6 Oscars in 1975 and becamethe first sequel to win an Oscar for Best Picture. While critically successful,The Godfather Part IIonly grossed $57 million at the box office, only one-fifth ofThe Godfather’sbox office results (viaThe Numbers).
The Godfather Part II Made One-Fifth Of The Godfather’s Box Office Results
One notable reason whyPart II’sbox office results were lower was due to the financial pressure placed on the sequel to be as successful as the original.The Godfatherset the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time until 1976, which made it difficult forPart IIto replicate the original’s financial success. The sequel was also impacted by Marlon Brando’s absence as Vito Corleone. Whileit was initially planned for Brando to cameo inThe Godfather Part II, his difficult relationship with Paramount resulted in him not appearing for filming and the scene being rewritten.
Up until 1974, it was very rare for sequel movies to use numbers in their titles; asthe first movie to use “2” in its title released in 1957received a poor critical response, there was the initial belief thatThe Godfather Part IIwould also not perform well with critics. Given the fact that the 1972 movie had utilized the novel,there was uncertainty as to howPart IIcould offer something new to the Corleones' story.Part IIalso had to compete withother gangster movies released in the 1970s, which further impacted its financial results.
The Godfather Part III Also Did Less Than Its Predecessor
The Godfather Part III Grossed $66 Million At The Box Office
The final installment in the franchise,The Godfather Part III,was released in 1990, 16 years after the release ofPart II. The Godfather Part IIIexplored Michael Corleone’s attempt to shield his children from his criminal life and find an heir to his empire.The Godfather Part IIIgrossed $66 million at the box office,also significantly lower than the first movie. While it received a positive reception from critics and received seven Oscar nominations in 1991, many felt thatThe Godfather Part IIIfailed to live up to the previous two movies' success.
$7,000,000
$136,479,994
$13,000,000
$57,300,000
$54,000,000
$66,666,062
Many considerThe Godfather Part IIIto be the weakest installment of the franchise due to its rushed script, uncomfortable subplots, and miscasting.Part IIIproved more successful at the box office thanPart II, but many critics and viewers felt it was an unnecessary extension of the franchise. Director Francis Ford Coppola also admitted that he considered the Corleones' story complete after the first two movies and only directed the third movie for financial reasons (viaThe New York Times).The Godfather Part IIproved the better sequel critically but could never financially achieve the same success as the original.
The Godfather
The Godfatheris one of the most iconic and influential film franchises in cinematic history. Based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel of the same name, the series chronicles the rise and fall of the powerful Corleone crime family. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the franchise consists of three films that explore the complex dynamics of organized crime, loyalty, and family. The films are celebrated for their outstanding performances, direction, and thematic depth, especially regarding power, betrayal, and morality within the Mafia world. The first two films, in particular, are widely regarded as some of the greatest films ever made.
