By almost any account, the Godfather films are monuments on the landscape of American cinema. There are, of course, differences of intention and achievement among the three, but the first one, The Godfather (1972), stands out in popular and critical opinion as one of the enduring works of the American cinema. The standing of The Godfather Part II (1974), nearly comparable to the first, lies not only in its art, but in its outlook, so rare in American films from early 1970s, on a flawed American protagonist as an emblem of American empire. The Godfather Part III brings out the theme of redemption present in Coppola's vision from the start. It is natural to regard these films as a trilogy to deal with the continuity of a directorial vision of the century-long working through of economic crime and punishment in the inner sanctum of an American dynasty.

As a commercial venture, The Godfather and, to a lesser extent, The Godfather Part II were blockbusters. In its day, The Godfather was one of the most profitable films of all time. Over the years, it is said, the trilogy did business of more than a billion dollars. The Godfather continues to be loved by the public and remains one of the few enduring, still popular classics of American cinema. The films were breakout, critical successes as well, earning more than two dozen Academy Award nominations among them.