View source for Grease 2

{{short description|1982 film by Patricia Birch}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Grease 2
| image          = Grease 2.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Patricia Birch]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Robert Stigwood]]
* [[Allan Carr]]
}}
| writer         = [[Ken Finkleman]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]''|[[Jim Jacobs]]<br />[[Warren Casey]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|<!--Per poster block-->
* [[Maxwell Caulfield]]
* [[Michelle Pfeiffer]]
* [[Adrian Zmed]]
* [[Lorna Luft]]
* [[Didi Conn]]
* [[Eve Arden]]
* [[Sid Caesar]]
* [[Dody Goodman]]
* [[Tab Hunter]]
* [[Connie Stevens]]
}}
| music          = [[Louis St. Louis]]
| cinematography = [[Frank Stanley (cinematographer)|Frank Stanley]]
| editing        = [[John F. Burnett]]
| studio         = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| distributor    = Paramount Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1982|06|11}}
| runtime        = 114 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 114:14--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/CVF034824 | title=''Grease 2'' (PG) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=June 14, 1982 | access-date=September 26, 2015}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $11.2 million
| gross          = $15.2 million<ref name=mojo/>
}}

'''''Grease 2''''' is a 1982 American [[Musical film|musical]] [[romantic comedy]] film, and a [[standalone sequel]] to the [[Grease (film)|1978 film ''Grease'']], adapted from the 1971 [[Grease (musical)|musical of the same name]] by [[Jim Jacobs]] and [[Warren Casey]]. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced by [[Allan Carr]] and [[Robert Stigwood]], and directed and choreographed by [[Patricia Birch]], who choreographed the original stage production and prior film. The plot returns to Rydell High School two years after the original film's [[graduation]], with a largely new cast, led by [[Maxwell Caulfield]] and [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] in her first starring role.

The film was released in United States theaters on June 11, 1982, and grossed $15 million against a production budget of $11 million, a far cry from its predecessor's $132 million domestic box office. Despite [[breakthrough role]]s for Pfeiffer, [[Adrian Zmed]], and [[Christopher McDonald]], the film received mostly mixed reviews from critics; however, ''Grease 2'' maintains a devoted fan base decades after its release.<ref name="TODAY2021">{{cite web | title=Why 'Grease 2' scores with fans nearly 4 decades later | website=TODAY.com | date=2021-07-20 | url=https://www.today.com/popculture/grease-2-stars-maxwell-caulfield-lorna-luft-fans-today-t222079 | access-date=2022-08-09 | archive-date=2022-08-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809041806/https://www.today.com/popculture/grease-2-stars-maxwell-caulfield-lorna-luft-fans-today-t222079 | url-status=live }}</ref> The film is now regarded as a [[cult classic]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200805-grease-2-the-flop-that-became-a-surprise-hit | title=Grease 2: The flop that became a surprise hit| work=[[BBC]] | date=August 10, 2020 | access-date=June 28, 2025}}</ref>

==Plot==
In September 1961, three years after the events of [[Grease (film)|the prior film]] ("Alma Mater" from [[Grease (musical)|the original stage musical]]), Principal McGee and her secretary Blanche react horrifiedly as students arrive at Rydell High to start a new academic year ("Back to School Again"). Among them are the trendy "bad-girl" Pink Ladies and the laid-back, [[motorcycle]]-riding [[street gang|ruffian]] T-Birds. Stephanie Zinone, the new leader of the Pink Ladies, feels she has "outgrown" her relationship with ex-boyfriend Johnny Nogerelli, the arrogant, [[chauvinistic]] and rather immature bully leader of the T-Birds.

Clean-cut British student Michael Carrington (a cousin of Sandy Olsson from the previous film) is introduced to the atmosphere by former Pink Lady Frenchy, who offers to orientate him. She has returned to Rydell to obtain her diploma so she can start her own cosmetics company (as preluded with "[[Beauty School Dropout]]" in the previous film). Michael eventually meets Stephanie, and quickly becomes smitten with her.

At the local [[bowling alley]], a game between both cliques ("Score Tonight") turns hostile between Johnny and Stephanie, culminating in him kissing her friend Paulette Rebchuck. Stephanie retaliatorily kisses the next man who walks in the door, who happens to be Michael. Bemused by the unexpected kiss, Michael asks her out the next day at an audition for the upcoming school talent show, but learns she has standards for her ideal suitor ("Cool Rider"). Attempting to appropriately attain her affection, Michael starts covertly selling completed homework assignments and [[term paper]]s to the academically-challenged T-Birds to save enough money for a motorcycle. Meanwhile, substitute teacher Mr. Stuart leads a rousing biology lesson ("Reproduction").

Rival motorcycle gang the Cycle Lords, led by Leo "Craterface" Balmudo, surprises the T-Birds at the bowling alley. Before a fight ensues, a lone, mysterious "Cool Rider" arrives, defeats the enemy gang, and disappears into the night ("Who's That Guy?"), astounding Stephanie. Meanwhile, T-Bird Louis DiMucci attempts to trick his sweetheart, Pink Lady Sharon Cooper, into losing her virginity to him by taking her to a [[fallout shelter]] and faking a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear attack]] ("Let's Do It for Our Country").

While Stephanie is working at her after-school job as an automobile mechanic at her family's gas station/auto garage, the Cool Rider surprises her with a romantic twilight motorcycle ride to a hilltop. Before he can reveal his identity, the T-Birds and Pink Ladies interrupt them, and he vows to reunite with her at the [[talent show]]. Johnny, enraged by Stephanie's new romance, threatens physical violence towards the Cool Rider if her new relationship continues. The Pink Ladies depart haughtily, ignoring the T-Birds' self-confidence ("Prowlin'").

At school, Stephanie's dismal grades in English lead her to accept Michael's offer of help. Johnny, having witnessed their encounter, demands that Stephanie denounce her association with the Pink Ladies to preserve his honor. Although she is still enchanted by the mysterious Cool Rider, her romantic interactions with Michael pressure him into questioning his facade ("Charades").

Stephanie and the Cool Rider reunite at the talent show but the T-Birds abruptly ambush them and pursue him to a closed-off construction site on their respective motorcycles, with the Pink Ladies following in a car. The site conceals a deadly drop, and the biker's absence suggests that he has gone over the edge and perished, devastating Stephanie. Prior to "Prowlin'", the T-Birds sabotage the competing Preptones by tying them to a shower pole in the boys' locker room. During the Pink Ladies' performance ("Girl for All Seasons"), an emotional Stephanie obliviously enters a dreamlike, fantasy world, where she reunites with her mystery biker ("(Love Will) Turn Back the Hands of Time"). She is named winner of the contest, and she and Johnny crowned Queen and King of the upcoming graduation [[luau]].

The Cycle Lords gatecrash the luau the following day ("Rock-a-Hula Luau (Summer Is Coming)"), but the Cool Rider reappears, overpowers them, and reveals himself as Michael. Initially shocked, Johnny subsequently presents him with a T-Birds jacket, officially welcoming him into the gang, and Michael and an overjoyed Stephanie cement their relationship with a passionate kiss. All the couples pair-off happily, and after the senior class graduates ("We'll Be Together"), the credits roll in [[yearbook]]-style, as in the original film ("Back to School Again").

==Cast==

=== Principal cast ===
==== Lead roles ====
* [[Maxwell Caulfield]] as Michael Carrington, a British [[exchange student]] and [[Grease (film)#Protagonists|Sandy Olsson]]'s cousin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorp |first=Clare |date=10 August 2020 |title=Grease 2: The flop that became a surprise hit |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200805-grease-2-the-flop-that-became-a-surprise-hit |website=www.bbc.com}}</ref>
* [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] as Stephanie Zinone, the leader of the Pink Ladies.

==== The T-Birds ====
* [[Adrian Zmed]] as Johnny Nogerelli, the leader of The T-Birds
* [[Christopher McDonald]] as Goose McKenzie
* [[Peter Frechette]] as Louis DiMucci
* [[Leif Green]] as Davey Jaworski

==== The Pink Ladies ====
* [[Maureen Teefy]] as Sharon Cooper
* [[Lorna Luft]] as Paulette Rebchuck
* Alison Price as Rhonda Ritter
* [[Pamela Adlon|Pamela Segall]] as Dolores Rebchuck

=== Reprising roles from ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'' ===
* [[Didi Conn]] as Frenchy
* [[Eve Arden]] as Principal McGee (Arden's final film role)
* [[Sid Caesar]] as Coach Vince Calhoun
* [[Dody Goodman]] as Secretary Blanche Hodel
* [[Eddie Deezen]] as Eugene Felsnick
* [[Dennis Cleveland Stewart|Dennis C. Stewart]] as Leo Balmudo (Craterface), leader of the Cycle Lords (appeared as the gang leader of the Scorpions in the previous film)
* Dick Patterson as Mr. Spears (appeared as Mr. Rudie in the previous film)

===Supporting cast===
* [[Tab Hunter]] as Mr. Stuart
* [[Connie Stevens]] as Miss Yvette Mason
* [[Jean Sagal|Jean]] and [[Liz Sagal]] as the Sorority / Cheerleader Twins
* [[Matt Lattanzi]] as Brad, one of the Prep-Tones
* [[Donna King]] as Girl Greaser (lead dancer)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Donna King |url=https://www.millermarley.com/MM/MMAlumniCommon.shtml?../Bios-Alumni/MM-Alumni-KingDonna.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116071138/https://www.millermarley.com/MM/MMAlumniCommon.shtml?../Bios-Alumni/MM-Alumni-KingDonna.shtml |archive-date=2014-01-16 |access-date=April 8, 2018 |website=Millar Marley School of Dance & Voice}}</ref>
* [[Lucinda Dickey]] as Girl Greaser
* [[Ivy Austin]] as Girl Greaser 'Francine'
* [[Andy Tennant]] as Boy Greaser 'Artie' (Arnold in ''Grease'')
* Bernard Hiller as Boy Greaser
* [[Tom Villard]] as Boy Greaser 'Willie' (performs "Cry" at the talent show)
* Vernon Scott as Henry Dickey, one of the Prep-Tones
* [[Tom Willett]] as bowling alley manager (uncredited)
* [[Janet Jones]] as the girl who missed her last two periods (uncredited)
* William N. Clark as Cycle Salvage Yard Manager (uncredited) – also was a cameraman
* Aurelio Padrón as Boy Greaser
* John Robert Garrett as Boy Greaser (Bubba in ''Grease'')
* Helena Andreyko as Girl Greaser (Trix in ''Grease'')
* Dennis Daniels as Boy Greaser (Bart in ''Grease'')
* Vicki Hunter as Girl Greaser
* Sandra Gray as Girl Greaser (Big G. in ''Grease'')
* [[John Allee]] as student with basketball (Calhoun: "We'll put high-heels on your sneakers and we'll make you a center!")
* Michael David Eilert as Boy Greaser (uncredited)
* Bill Baker as High School Student (uncredited)

==Production==

===Development===
''Grease'' co-producer [[Allan Carr]] had a deal with [[Paramount Pictures]] to be paid $5 million to produce a sequel, with production beginning within three years of the original film. Carr decided to hire [[Patricia Birch]] as director for the sequel, as she had previously served as the choreographer for the stage and film versions of ''Grease''. Birch was initially hesitant to accept after learning that neither composers [[Jim Jacobs]] and [[Warren Casey]] nor [[John Travolta]] and [[Olivia Newton-John]] would be involved in the film.{{sfn|Hofler|2010|p=136}} [[Bronte Woodard]], the writer who adapted the original stage material for the original film, had died in 1980, and Canadian comic [[Ken Finkleman]] (who was also writing and directing ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel|Airplane II]]'' at the same time) was tasked with penning a new script mostly from scratch.  The total budget for the production was $11.2 million, almost double the budget of the original.{{sfn|Hofler|2010|p=144}} Birch's approach to the material was to hew closer to the original, grittier stage productions from which ''Grease'' came; she had resisted changes made to the original film (largely made at Newton-John's behest) but was overruled.<ref name=vanity>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/grease-movie-musical-john-travolta-olivia-newton-john|title=How ''Grease'' Beat the Odds and Became the Biggest Movie Musical of the 20th Century|magazine=Vanity Fair|author=Callahan, Michael|date=26 January 2016|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420073138/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/grease-movie-musical-john-travolta-olivia-newton-john|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Grease 2'' was intended to be the second film (and first sequel) in a proposed ''Grease'' franchise of four films and a television series. (The third and fourth films were to take place in the 1960s and during the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] era.) However, the projects were scrapped due to the underwhelming box office performance of ''Grease 2''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=''Grease 2'' (1982) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56788 |access-date=August 6, 2023 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730071713/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56788 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Maxwell Caulfield]] was unhappy with the film's "drab" title, and unsuccessfully lobbied to change it to ''Son of Grease''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Next Overnight Sensation|first=Cynthia|last=Heimel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OcCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45|date=March 22, 1983|access-date=August 19, 2013|page=45|journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref>

===Casting===
Birch proposed an idea to feature Travolta and Newton-John reprising their characters as a now married couple running a gas station near the end of the film, with Travolta to sing a new number "Gas Pump Jockey;"<ref name="greasefacts">{{Cite web |last=Messer |first=Lesley |date=January 28, 2016 |title=7 'Grease' Facts You May Not Have Known |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/grease-facts/story?id=36550893 |website=ABC News |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301173043/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/grease-facts/story?id=36550893 |url-status=live }}</ref> this did not come to fruition.{{sfn|Hofler|2010|p=136}} Newton John rejected the offer to return, as she was more interested in doing ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vogue.com/article/olivia-newton-john-obituary | title=Olivia Newton-John, Singer and 'Grease' Star, Dies at 73 | date=8 August 2022 }}</ref> Paramount tried to get [[Jeff Conaway]] and [[Stockard Channing]] from the first film to do cameos but this did not happen (Channing, by then 37 years old, had left Hollywood for a time in the early 1980s to focus on her stage career).<ref>{{Cite news |author=Beck |first=Marilyn |date=Sep 8, 1981 |title=''Taxi'' brings back Jeff Conaway |page=a5 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> Early plans for ''Grease 2'' had Conaway and Channing's characters, Kenickie and Rizzo, as main characters while they attended [[summer school]],<ref name=greasefacts/> which would have culminated in the two getting married.<ref name=vanity/>

[[Andy Gibb]] was screen tested to play the male lead but this proved unsatisfactory.<ref>Holfer p 136</ref> At one stage [[Timothy Hutton]] was announced as the male lead,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Hollywood 'drug war' is mostly talk|author=Beck, Marilyn|work=Chicago Tribune|date=Mar 16, 1982|page=c12}}</ref> and Carr later claimed after ''Grease 2'' was released "Hutton came, sang, and danced in my living room. He had done Guys and Dolls in college, and that’s who I wanted and preferred. But they didn’t consider him sexy enough.”<ref>Holfer p 147</ref>

[[Maxwell Caulfield]] was cast after impressing producers off-Broadway in ''[[Entertaining Mr. Sloane]]''. Having seen his performances, [[Allan Carr]] offered Caulfield the role of Michael over thousands of applicants.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Maxwell Caulfield Picture Pages |url=http://www.superiorpics.com/maxwell_caulfield/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918010749/http://www.superiorpics.com/maxwell_caulfield/ |archive-date=2012-09-18 |website=www.superiorpics.com}}</ref>

“They were all in love with Maxwell,” said Patricia Birch. “Robert and Allan saw him onstage without his clothes."<ref>Holfer p 137</ref>

Unlike co-star Pfeiffer, Caulfield's career following ''Grease 2'' was damaged by the film's failure. He has been quoted as saying: "Before ''Grease 2'' came out, I was being hailed as the next [[Richard Gere]] or [[John Travolta]]. However, when ''Grease 2'' flopped, nobody would touch me. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown in my face. It took me 10 years to get over ''Grease 2''."<ref name="Maxwell Caulfield trivia">{{cite web |url=http://www.movietome.com/people/6176/maxwell-caulfield/trivia.html |title=Maxwell Caulfield Quotes and Trivia |website=[[MovieTome]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011153913/http://www.movietome.com/people/6176/maxwell-caulfield/trivia.html |archive-date=October 11, 2008}}</ref>

With only a few television roles and small film appearances, [[Michelle Pfeiffer]], then aged 23, was a relatively unknown actress when she attended the casting call audition for the role of Stephanie. Other actresses considered for the part included [[Lisa Hartman]], [[Kristy McNichol]], [[Andrea McArdle]], and singer [[Pat Benatar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Miss Perfection had begun |url=http://www.pfeiffertheface.com/Bio_014.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725090604/http://www.pfeiffertheface.com/Bio_014.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |website=www.pfeiffertheface.com |page=14}}</ref> Pfeiffer was a wild card choice, but according to Birch, she won the part because she "has a quirky quality you don't expect."<ref>{{cite web |title=Miss Perfection had begun |url=http://www.pfeiffertheface.com/Bio_013.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118134913/http://www.pfeiffertheface.com/Bio_013.htm |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |website=www.pfeiffertheface.com |page=13}}</ref> She later commented on being cast:

<blockquote>That was really weird for me. I'd been taking singing lessons and I had taken dance, because I loved to dance, but I had never considered myself a professional at all. I went on this audition as a fluke, and somehow, through the process of going back and dancing, and then going back and singing, I ended up getting the part. I went crazy with that movie. I came to New York and the paparazzi were waiting at the hotel. I know the producers put them up to it. I am basically very private, and I'm really nervous about doing publicity. Every time I set up an interview, I say, "That's it, this is my last one. I'll do this because I committed to doing it, but I'm never doing another one." It was insane.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelsey |first1=Colleen |last2=Stone |first2=Peter |date=May 9, 2012 |title=New Again: Michelle Pfeiffer |url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-michelle-pfeiffer/ |website=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]] |access-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430150412/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-michelle-pfeiffer/ |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

[[Lorna Luft]] was the last star cast.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Rosenfield |first=Paul |date=Mar 7, 1982 |title=Lorna Luft's Road Gets Smoother |page=m25 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> The part played by [[Connie Stevens]] was originally meant for [[Annette Funicello]] but she was unable to appear because her schedule as [[Skippy peanut butter]] spokeswoman<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Skippy |publisher=Unilever |year=2012 |url=http://www.peanutbutter.com/article/detail/115166/skippy-peanut-butter-history |access-date=April 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518112003/http://www.peanutbutter.com/article/detail/115166/skippy-peanut-butter-history |archive-date=May 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> did not allow her time to film the scene.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Popson |first=Tom |date=June 20, 1982 |title=MOVIES: 'Hey, What Floor Am I On?!' A Frenetic Day in Chicago for a Producer Born Too Late |page=f20 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

[[Adrian Zmed]] had previously played the role of Danny Zuko in the stage version of ''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]'', a role he would later reprise in the 1990s.<ref name="serious">{{cite journal |last=Adelson |first=Suzanne |date=June 20, 1983 |title=T.j. Hooker's Adrian Zmed Looks to a Serious Future Beyond Beefcake and Bad Boys |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085303,00.html |url-status=dead |journal=[[People (magazine)|People]] |volume=19 |issue=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109221955/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085303,00.html |archive-date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=August 31, 2016}}</ref>

===Filming===
Scenes at Rydell High School were filmed at [[Excelsior High School (Norwalk, California)|Excelsior High School]], a recently closed high school in [[Norwalk, California]].{{sfn|Hofler|2010|p=144}} Filming took place throughout a 58-day shooting schedule during the autumn of 1981.<ref name=":0" /> According to director Birch, the script was still incomplete when filming commenced.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 11, 2022 |title='Grease 2' turns 40: Why the 'more fun, female-forward' sequel is better than the original |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2022/06/11/grease-2-40th-anniversary-musical-sequel/7570805001/ |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> Sequences that were filmed but cut during post-production include scenes in which Frenchy helps Michael become a motorcycle rider, and a sequence at the end of the film showing Michael and Stephanie flying off into the sky on a motorcycle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-09 |title=Why Frenchy Disappears Halfway Through Grease 2 |url=https://screenrant.com/grease-2-movie-frenchy-disappears-why/ |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en |archive-date=2023-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806215852/https://screenrant.com/grease-2-movie-frenchy-disappears-why/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the film, after Stephanie wins the contest, it goes on to show the luau in the final scene. Originally, there were a few minutes dedicated to a scene in which Michael (believed to be dead in his alter ego, by Stephanie) comes out on stage as Stephanie is exiting the stage, unbeknownst to her that he is the cool rider and he is alive. He attempts to ask her what's wrong and she storms past him and runs off crying, then it cuts to the luau. There was a scene within the "Who's that Guy?" number in which Goose accidentally smashes Rhonda's nose at the Bowl-A-Rama door. None of these scenes have been shown since the film's release.

==Music==
{{Main|Grease 2 (soundtrack)}}
{{Infobox album
|name       = Grease 2
|type       = soundtrack
|artist     =
|cover      =
|alt        =
|released   = 1982
|recorded   = 1981
|venue      =
|studio     =
|genre      =
|length     = 32:28
|label      = [[RSO Records|RSO]] (Original issue)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Grease-2-Original-Soundtrack-Recording/master/143686 | title=Various - Grease 2 (Original Soundtrack Recording) | website=[[Discogs]] | year=1996 | access-date=2018-09-03 | archive-date=2018-09-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052523/https://www.discogs.com/Various-Grease-2-Original-Soundtrack-Recording/master/143686 | url-status=live }}</ref> <br /> [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] (Re-issue)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Grease-2-Original-Soundtrack-Recording/release/1802763 | title=Various - Grease 2 (Original Soundtrack Recording) | website=[[Discogs]] | date=February 27, 1996 }}</ref>
|producer   =
|chronology =
*''[[Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture|Grease]]''
*(1978)
|prev_title =
|prev_year  =
|next_title =
|next_year  =
}}
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score = {{Rating|2|5}} [https://www.allmusic.com/album/grease-2-original-soundtrack-r113662 link]
|noprose = yes
}}
#"Back to School Again" – Cast and [[The Four Tops]] (verses by the Pink Ladies are absent from the soundtrack)
#"Score Tonight" – T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Cast
#"Brad" – Noreen and Doreen
#"Cool Rider" – Stephanie
#"Reproduction" – Mr. Stuart and Students
#"Who's That Guy?" – Michael, T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Cycle Lords, and Cast
#"Do It for Our Country" – Louis and Sharon (Sharon's part is absent from the soundtrack)
#"Prowlin'" – Johnny and T-Birds
#"Charades" – Michael
#"Girl for All Seasons" – Sharon, Paulette, Rhonda, and Stephanie
#"(Love Will) Turn Back the Hands of Time" – Stephanie and Michael
#"Rock-a-Hula Luau (Summer Is Coming)" – Cast
#"We'll Be Together" – Michael, Stephanie, Johnny, Paulette, and Cast

Featured as background music at Rydell Sport Field:
#"Moon River" (The Spirit of Troy- University of Southern California Marching Band)

Featured as background music at the bowling alley:
#"[[Our Day Will Come]]" – [[Ruby & The Romantics]] (''Grease 2'' takes place in 1961–62 and "Our Day Will Come" did not come out until 1963)
#"Rebel Walk" – [[Duane Eddy]] (this was the B-side of his biggest hit "[[Because They're Young (song)|Because They're Young]]")

Featured at the beginning:
#"Alma Mater" – Instrumental (this song was played at the beginning when Principal McGee and Blanche put up the 1961 Rydell flag)

==Release==

===Box office===
The sequel took in just over $15 million after coming at fifth on opening weekend behind ''[[E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial]]'', ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', ''[[Rocky III]]'', and ''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]''.<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grease2.htm|title=Grease 2 (1982) |website= Box Office Mojo }}</ref>

Caulfield explained the film's contemporaneous commercial underperformance: "Basically we just got blown off the map by that little movie by Spielberg..., what was it called?, something like ''E.T.'' or something."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Craig|last=Edwards|magazine=Psychtronic Video|url=https://archive.org/details/Psychotronic_Video_35/page/n57/mode/1up?|year=2001|number=35|page=57|title=Maxwell Caulfield}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film had an approval rating of 36% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Grease 2'' is undeniably stocked with solid songs and well-choreographed dance sequences, but there's no getting around the fact that it's a blatant retread of its far more entertaining predecessor."<ref>{{cite web |title=Grease 2 (1982) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/grease_2/ |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2021-11-10 }}</ref> {{As of|2020|10}}, on [[Metacritic]] it had a score of 52% based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grease 2 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/grease-2 |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=2020-10-18 }}</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' condemned the film as "dizzy and slight, with an even more negligible plot than its predecessor had. This time the story can't even masquerade as an excuse for stringing the songs together. Songs? What songs? The numbers in ''Grease&nbsp;2'' are so hopelessly insubstantial that the cast is forced to burst into melody about pastimes like bowling."<ref name="New York Times Review">{{Cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=June 11, 1982 |title=More Grease |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/11/movies/more-grease.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008025145/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9d02efdb143bf932a25755c0a964948260 |archive-date=2013-10-08}}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' commended the staging of the musical numbers, writing that [[Patricia Birch]] has come up with some unusual settings (a bowling alley, a bomb shelter) for some of the scenes, and employs some sharp montage to give most of the songs and dances a fair amount of punch."<ref name="Variety Review">{{cite web |author= |date=1 January 1982 |title=Grease 2 |url=https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/grease-2-1200425203/ |website=Variety}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 2 stars out of 4, saying: "This movie just recycles ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'', without the stars, without the energy, without the freshness and without the grease."<ref>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=1982-01-01 |title=Grease 2 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/grease-2-1982}}</ref>

Pfeiffer received positive notices for her first major role. ''The New York Times'' review cited her performance as the "one improvement" on the original film: "Miss Pfeiffer is as gorgeous as any [[cover girl]], and she has a sullen quality that's more fitting to a ''Grease'' character than [[Olivia Newton-John|Miss Newton-John]]'s sunniness was."<ref name="New York Times Review" /> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that she was "all anyone could ask for in the looks department, and she fills Olivia Newton-John's shoes and tight pants very well."<ref name="Variety Review" /> Pfeiffer told the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' three years later:

{{blockquote|That film was a good experience for me. It taught me a valuable lesson. Before it even came out the hype had started. Maxwell and I were being thrust down the public's throat in huge full page advertisements. There was no way we could live up to any of that and we didn't. So the crash was very loud. But it did teach me not to have expectations.<ref>{{Cite news|title=MOVIES: Pfeiffer's Got a Cult of Her Own|last=Mann |first=Roderick|newspaper= Los Angeles Times|date=Mar 3, 1985|page=u21}}</ref>}}

[[Barry Diller]] of Paramount said that the film "on no level is as good as the first. The quality isn't there."<ref>{{Cite news |author=Wayne |first=Leslie |date=July 18, 1982 |title=Hollywood Sequels Are Just the Ticket |page=F1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/18/business/hollywood-sequels-are-just-the-ticket.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524110156/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/18/business/hollywood-sequels-are-just-the-ticket.html |archive-date=2015-05-24}}</ref>

[[Jim Jacobs]] described it at the time as "awful ... the pits."<ref>{{cite news|title=Playwright a hit at Taft High: 'Grease'-er revisits scene of his teens|author=Clifford, Terry|work=Chicago Tribune|date=Apr 12, 1983|page=d1}}</ref> In an interview 27 years later, Jacobs noted that ''Grease 2'' "still brings a brief frown to his face."<ref>{{cite news |date=8 January 2009 |title=Bring back our own, original R-rated 'Grease' |work=Chicago Tribune |url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2009/01/bring-back-our.html |access-date=28 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117163229/http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2009/01/bring-back-our.html |archive-date=17 November 2013}}</ref>

During an appearance for ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]'' to promote the film ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'', actor [[Andrew Garfield]] cited the film as one of his five favorite musicals, calling it "great".<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJpxVLep5xQ |title=Andrew Garfield's 5 Favorite Movie Musicals |date=February 7, 2022 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |via=YouTube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Accolades===
Pfeiffer was nominated for a 1983 [[Young Artist Award]] in the category of Best Young Motion Picture Actress.

The film was nominated for a [[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]] for Worst Picture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982st.htm |title=1982 5th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards |access-date=April 2, 2013 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815214957/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982st.htm |archive-date=August 15, 2007 }}</ref> Later on, the Stinkers would unveil their picks for the 100 worst films of the 20th century with their "100 Years, 100 Stinkers" list. ''Grease 2'' ranked in the listed bottom 20 at #13.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Worst Films of the 20th Century |url=http://www.thestinkers.com/100stinkers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020604014203/http://www.thestinkers.com/100stinkers.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 June 2002 |website=The Stinkers |access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Top Ten [sic] Worst Films of All-Time |url=http://www.thestinkers.com/worstever.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607033606/http://www.thestinkers.com/worstever.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 June 2002 |website=The Stinkers |access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref>

The film was given a special screening at the 2021 online TCM Festival.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==Remakes==
The film's screenplay was adapted in the [[Kannada]] (South India) feature film ''[[Premaloka]]'', starring [[Ravichandran (Kannada actor)|Ravichandran]] and [[Juhi Chawla]], released in 1987, which went on to become a blockbuster.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Plans for a third film==
In 2003, [[Olivia Newton-John]] confirmed that a second sequel was being developed. "They're writing it, and we'll see what happens. If the script looks good, I'll do it. But I haven't seen the script, and it has to be cleverly done."<ref>{{cite web |author1=Holleran |first=Scott |date=9 September 2003 |title=Olivia Newton-John: Grease Goddess |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1247&p=.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040812060328/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1247&p=.htm |archive-date=August 12, 2004 |access-date=5 May 2018 |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDb}}</ref> Newton-John died in 2022 before any such script was completed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Adam |date=8 August 2022 |title=Olivia Newton-John, pop singer and 'Grease' star, dies at 73 |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/08/olivia-newton-john-grease-singer-dies/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808194311/https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/08/olivia-newton-john-grease-singer-dies/ |archive-date=8 August 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

In 2008, it was reported that Paramount was planning a new sequel to ''Grease'' that would debut [[Direct-to-video|straight to DVD]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Sciretta |first=Peter |date=August 21, 2008 |title=Mean Girls 2? Naked Gun 4? Road Trip 2? Grease 3? |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/500369/mean-girls-2-naked-gun-4-road-trip-2-grease-3/ |access-date=August 16, 2010 |work=[[Slash Film]] |archive-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129102232/https://www.slashfilm.com/500369/mean-girls-2-naked-gun-4-road-trip-2-grease-3/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the project never came to fruition.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

In 2019, it was announced that a prequel to the original film entitled ''Summer Lovin''' with [[John August]] attached to write the screenplay was in the works at Paramount.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grease-prequel-summer-loving-works-1200358|title='Grease' Prequel 'Summer Loving' in the Works With John August Writing (Exclusive)|first=Borys|last=Kit|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 9, 2019|access-date=April 9, 2019|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410142350/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grease-prequel-summer-loving-works-1200358|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Stage musical==
The film was later adapted into a musical, ''[[Cool Rider]]'', with the script re-written and modified for the stage.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-11 |title=Cool Rider! The Stage Adaptation of Cult Sequel Grease 2 to Return to the West End |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/174501/cool-rider-the-stage-adaptation-of-cult-sequel-grease-2-to-return-to-the-west-end/ |website=Broadway.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr|first=Robert|last=Hofler|year=2010|location=Philadelphia|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|isbn=978-0-306-81655-0}}
* {{cite book |title=Grease|series=Music on Film|first=Stephen|last=Tropiano|year=2011|location=Milwaukee|publisher=[[Limelight Editions]]|isbn=978-0-87910-389-7}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{TCMDb title}}

{{Grease}}
{{Ken Finkleman}}

[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:1982 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1982 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s dance films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s high school films]]
[[Category:1980s musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1980s romantic musical films]]
[[Category:1980s teen comedy films]]
[[Category:1980s teen romance films]]
[[Category:American high school films]]
[[Category:American musical comedy films]]
[[Category:American rock musicals]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic musical films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:American teen comedy films]]
[[Category:American teen musical films]]
[[Category:American teen romance films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Allan Carr]]
[[Category:Films produced by Robert Stigwood]]
[[Category:Films set in 1961]]
[[Category:Films set in 1962]]
[[Category:Films set in Chicago]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ken Finkleman]]
[[Category:Grease (musical)]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic musical films]]
[[Category:English-language musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1982 musical films]]