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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 Lance T Story is quite lackluster, I didn't really get much out of it at all, but I think that the musical numbers make up for it. The music was absolutely phenomenal, and I find myself listening to multiple songs on the soundtrack on a regular basis. Visuals were also very nice during the musical numbers. I recommend this movie to anyone who really likes musicals for the music, but in terms of story, I don't think it has much rewatch value. I probably won't go out of my way to actively rewatch it, but I also wouldn't mind rewatching it if it was on Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review ne u This should be rated higher. The music is 10/10. The actors are 10/10. The Story is not super innovative or groundbreaking but it is my favourite movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/11/24 Full Review AHURRICANEGIRL S Few movies are perfect. But in my opinion this one is. It’s pure movie magic that has your attention every minute and every scene. From the first few seconds of the opening number when I saw this on the big screen I knew I was gonna love it. And it did not disappoint. One of my all fine favourite movies. It’s fun. It’s visually stunning. Every song is a banger the characters are each loveable in their own way. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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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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