The Economics Of The Godfather

In 1972 a nearly bankrupt Paramount spent roughly six to seven million dollars on a gangster picture the industry had already written off, and turned it into one of the greatest returns in the history of the movie business.

Paramount optioned Mario Puzo’s novel for $12,500 before it became a runaway bestseller. The planned $2.5 million budget grew to roughly $6-7 million at about $40,000 a day. Marlon Brando sold his back-end points for a one-time $100,000, a deal producer Robert Evans estimated cost Brando somewhere around $11 million.

Then the ledger flips: $85.7 million in US and Canada rentals, an estimated $250 to $291 million in worldwide box office, and a then-record $10 million television deal with NBC.

Chapters

• 0:00 The $6 Million Bet Nobody Wanted to Make
• 1:15 Paramount in 1972: A Studio for Sale
• 3:20 The $12,500 Novel and the Budget That Doubled
• 6:10 Brando, Pacino, and $40,000 a Day
• 9:30 How The Godfather Actually Made Its Money
• 10:40 The Movie That Almost Never Got Finished
• 13:30 From Ninth Place to Number One

Watch the full documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_0vJjzddzo