The Godfather Part II Budget

What is the budget of The Godfather Part II?

"The Godfather Part II," a drama released in 1974, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Al Pacino, Robert Duvall. The production budget was $13,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for drama productions of the 1970s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:

• Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
• Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
• Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
• Casting: Several actors from the first film did not return for the sequel.

What were the major cost factors in The Godfather Part II?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Godfather Part II."

• Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.

How Does The Godfather Part II's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $13,000,000, The Godfather Part II sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Miss Sloane (2016): Budget $13,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,101,546
• RoboCop (1987): Budget $13,000,000, Worldwide Gross $53,424,681
• The Holdovers (2023): Budget $13,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,513,270
• In the Name of the Father (1993): Budget $13,000,000, Worldwide Gross $65,796,862
• Black Swan (2010): Budget $13,000,000, Worldwide Gross $329,398,046

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

The Godfather Part II Box Office Performance

"The Godfather Part II" earned $47,834,595 domestically and $102,600,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $13,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "The Godfather Part II," that break-even threshold was roughly $26,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $102,600,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $13,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $102,600,000
• Net Return: $89,600,000
• ROI: approximately 689.2%

At 689.2%, "The Godfather Part II" earned roughly $7.89 for every $1 invested in production.

The Godfather Part II Production History

Several actors from the first film did not return for the sequel. Marlon Brando initially agreed to return for the birthday flashback sequence, but the actor, feeling mistreated by the board at Paramount, failed to show up for the single day's shooting. The part in the plot originally intended for the latter-day Clemenza was then filled by the character of Frank Pentangeli, played by Michael V.

The Godfather Part II was shot between October 1, 1973, and June 19, 1974. The scenes that took place in Cuba were shot in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Charles Bluhdorn, whose Gulf+Western conglomerate owned Paramount, felt strongly about developing the Dominican Republic as a movie-making site.

The score is by Nino Rota with additions by Carmine Coppola. It won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Awards and Recognition

Won 6 Oscars. 17 wins & 21 nominations total

• Academy Award for Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay: Mario Puzo (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score: Nino Rota (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score: Carmine Coppola (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Picture: Francis Ford Coppola (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Picture: Fred Roos (47th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Picture: Gray Frederickson (47th Academy Awards)

Critical Reception

Pauline Kael in The New Yorker was an early champion of the film, writing that it was visually "far more complexly beautiful than the first, just as it's thematically richer, more shadowed, more full." She writes: "Twice I almost cried out at the acts of violence that De Niro's Vito committed. I didn't look away from the images, as I sometimes do in routine action pictures. I wanted to see the worst; there is a powerful need to see it. You need these moments as you need the terrible climaxes in a Tolstoy novel.