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The Greatest Showman

Play trailer 2:15 Poster for The Greatest Showman PG Released Dec 20, 2017 1h 45m Musical Biography History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 263 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Growing up in the early 1800s, P.T. Barnum displays a natural talent for publicity and promotion, selling lottery tickets by age 12. After trying his hands at various jobs, P.T. turns to show business to indulge his limitless imagination, rising from nothing to create the Barnum & Bailey circus. Featuring catchy musical numbers, exotic performers and daring acrobatic feats, Barnum's mesmerizing spectacle soon takes the world by storm to become the greatest show on Earth.
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The Greatest Showman

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Critics Consensus

The Greatest Showman tries hard to dazzle the audience with a Barnum-style sense of wonder -- but at the expense of its complex subject's far more intriguing real-life story.

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Audience Says

The story might not be anything special, but if it's a singing, dancing extravaganza you seek, The Greatest Showman delivers.

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Critics Reviews

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Chris Bennion Times (UK) Give in. Roll up. Sing along. Aug 22, 2023 Full Review Sam Adams Slate Like Barnum himself, it's an elegant fraud, nice enough to look at as long as you don't look too close. Dec 4, 2018 Full Review Esther Zuckerman Marie Claire [This] kind of insanity is really fun to watch. The Greatest Showman is a lot of things, but it's not boring. Jan 12, 2018 Full Review Brian T. Carney Washington Blade The vivid cinematography by Seamus McGarvey and the exquisite costumes by Ellen Mirojnick capture the magic of Barnum’s circus and give the picture an attractive period feel. Dec 15, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Quite incongruously, The Greatest Showman suggests that Barnum is a heroic figure, a woke entertainer and family man, who also capitalized on animal suffering and the veritable prostitution of human oddity. Rated: 1/4 Mar 16, 2022 Full Review Cory Woodroof 615 Film The movie is a big, loud explosion of color and excitement but one the party's over, somebody's got to clean it all up. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 11, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Willy First viewing, amazing film even better soundtrack. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/24 Full Review Mei THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/27/22 Full Review Katie D Such a great, fun, feel-good movie! I really enjoyed it - listen to the audience ratings, not the critic reviews! don't expect historical accuracy, but definitely expect a good time, heartfelt music and amazing performances! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/15/21 Full Review Movie C If I could give this zero stars, I would’ve . I fucking despise this shitty ass movie. The”greatest” this about this show are the fucking end credits. I am in debt from the about of bleach I bought in a futile attempt to wipe this movie from my memory the songs ae fucking atrocious and make ear removal sugery I regularly get ptsd from watching horrific movie that has drove me to suicide I don’t want to live in a world where this atrocity of a film exists Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review English Class S Movie review :The Greatest Showman Michael Gracey’s magical musical, The Greatest Showman, caught the eye of many people, making minds bend and twist with their choreographies and amazing soundtrack. This fantastic film, was created in 2017 the 29 of December, taking performance, to a whole other level. This musical was a blockbuster and grew very popular. The plot of the movie revolves around the making of the first circus. A man has a dream since he was a kid, to live different, form something unique, but he is very poor. He makes a loan at the bank to buy an old museum witch he plans to transform into a theatre. From that moment a whole series of events happen. The main character, P.T. Barnum, gathers a troop of unique people to form his circus and lead him to fame. There is one thing that is constantly repeated throughout the whole film, freedom. For example, when Philipe Carlyle joins the circus, he craves for a taste of freedom, because he is so stuck in his uptown role, that he needs to escape a bit. This film is full of plot twists and action that will keep you on your toes, and heart jolting scenes that will bring you to tears. P.T. Barnum is a man from a poor background who dreams of creating something spectacular and new. This role is played by Hugh Jackman. His wife, Charity Barnum, who is a woman from a wealthy family, has been in love with Barnum since they were kids, and does not care about money. This role is played by Michelle Williams. Philip Carlyle his associate in business is played by Zac Efron. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/21/24 Full Review Jake A Great and watchable movie. It's catchy and poppy music for a musical, fun, and has great messages about family, friendship and loyalty. Every cast member really lived up to their roles. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Growing up in the early 1800s, P.T. Barnum displays a natural talent for publicity and promotion, selling lottery tickets by age 12. After trying his hands at various jobs, P.T. turns to show business to indulge his limitless imagination, rising from nothing to create the Barnum & Bailey circus. Featuring catchy musical numbers, exotic performers and daring acrobatic feats, Barnum's mesmerizing spectacle soon takes the world by storm to become the greatest show on Earth.
Director
Michael Gracey
Producer
Laurence Mark, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping
Screenwriter
Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Chernin Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, TSG Entertainment
Rating
PG (Thematic Elements|A Brawl)
Genre
Musical, Biography, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 20, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$174.0M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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