Following the success of the first film , Paramount Pictures began developing a follow up to the film , with much of the same cast and crew returning . Coppola , who was given more control on the film , had wanted to make both a sequel and a prequel to the film to tell the story of the rise of Vito and the fall of Michael . Principal photography began in October 1973 and wrapped up in June 1974 . It was the last major American motion picture to have release prints made with Technicolor 's dye imbibition process until the late 1990s . '' The Godfather Part II '' opened on December 20 , 1974 , to divided reviews from critics but its reputation , however , improved rapidly and it soon became the subject of critical re-evaluation . It grossed $ 47.5 million in North America on a $ 13 million budget . The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards at the 47th Academy Awards and became the first sequel to win for Best Picture . Its six Oscar wins also included Best Director for Coppola , Best Supporting Actor for De Niro and Best Adapted Screenplay for Coppola and Puzo . Pacino won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
47th Academy Awards
47th Academy Awards
The Godfather Part II