It's one of the most famous and revered movie franchises of all time. Filled with revenge, violence, and passion, the Godfather trilogy has become a favourite amongst movie buffs, and many of its iconic scenes have passed into the public consciousness, being copied or spoofed constantly in American media.

Pacino plays the role of Michael Corleone, who succeeds his father Vito, a notorious mafia crime boss, to reluctantly become don of the Corleone family, and is forced into a difficult world of crime, murder, and paranoia. The franchise shot the young Al Pacino, 81, to worldwide fame, and helped to cement his status as one of the greatest and most recognisable American actors of the twentieth century. Pacino acted in Francis Ford Coppola's first installment The Godfather (1972), and also went on to reprise his role in the sequels The Godfather Part II two years later and The Godfather Part III in 1990.

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For his performance, Pacino received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and international fame. But how much did he earn for acting in The Godfather trilogy?

6 How Much Did He Make For 'The Godfather'?

For his first Godfather appearance in 1972, Al made a lot less than you would imagine. As a relative unknown at this stage in his career, Pacino could not command a large fee for his appearance, and accordingly earned only $35,000 for his role as Michael Corleone. Adjusting for inflation, that's around $215,000 in today's money. A good amount for a few months work on set, yes, but not a good amount for second billing behind Marlon Brando in a big-budget Hollywood movie.

5 Why Did He Make That Much?

While Pacino was new to the industry, the movie's rocky production history also perhaps played a role in such a low fee being offered. It was only until later in the filmmaking process that hype around the novel and the film began to build, so perhaps Pacino signed on when the studio weren't expecting such big returns on the picture, and decided to pay their actors in line with that expectation. The budget for the film had originally been a mere $2.5 million, but as the book grew in popularity, director Coppola argued for and successfully received a larger budget - probably between $6 and 7.2 million, though estimates vary on the final figure. The film grossed a staggering $246–287 million in total after many re-releases over the years.

4 How Much Did He Make For 'The Godfather Part II'?

After the huge success of the first Godfather release, Paramount Pictures immediately set about planning for a sequel. Pacino was signed to appear again, and for his second outing as the brooding mafia boss his salary increased by over fourteen times to a very healthy $500,000. Today, that figure would be around $2.6 million. Not bad.

In addition to this lump sum, however, Pacino also earned 10% of the film's gross after break-even. Over time, this would translate into tens of millions of dollars in bonus earnings. Nice work, Al.

3 This Was In Line With The Movie's Budget

Because the first movie had performed so well at the box office, the studios were now confident in the potential for a second picture, and gave it an appropriate budget. This time Coppola was given $13 million to play with, and off the back of it The Godfather Part II made approximately $88 million in ticket sales.

Pacino nearly didn't reprise his role, however. Before filming started, his lawyers told Coppola that he had serious doubts about the script and would not come to filming. To get him back on board, Coppola spent an entire night rewriting it before giving it to Pacino to read. Pacino approved it, and thankfully the production went forward.

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2 So How Much for 'Part III'?

Sixteen years later, Pacino was once again cast to play Corleone in the third and final installment. Having grown in confidence, and taken on several big acting roles in the intervening years, Al was now in a position to demand $7 million, plus a percentage of gross receipts BEFORE costs. However, Francis Ford Coppola refused to agree to this enormous sum. He even threatened to make the opening scene of the third movie Michael Corleone's funeral!

Al backed down, and eventually renegotiated a flat $5 million fee. Though the movie pleased audiences, it did not reach the critical heights of the first two Godfather movies, and was regarded by some as a disappointment. From a $54 million budget, the movie made $136 million.

1 How Much Did Pacino Make In Total?

In total, Al Pacino made around $5,535,000 for all three appearances in The Godfather trilogy, not adjusting for inflation or the percentage he received of the second movie's ticket sales. The actor's net worth is estimated to be in the region of a staggering $120 million. It seems that crime certainly pays!

Next: Al Pacino At 81 Years Old: How Does He Spend His $120 Million Net Worth?