The Greatest Showman

PG

Released Dec 20, 2017

1h 45m

Musical

Biography

History

Drama

TRAILER

for

List

57%

Tomatometer

265 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Says

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

Read Audience Reviews

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

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

Patrick W

If you enjoy watching movies to be entertained, it's amazing. Don't listen to the snobs crying into their textbooks about its accuracy, who cares, it's a movie designed for joy, not a documentary designed for a history exam. If you gather facts from movie cinemas, steer clear, but don't stop there, steer clear from having an opinion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/04/24

Full Review

joe h

"The Greatest Showman," is a vibrant musical that showcases the remarkable story of P.T. Barnum, brought to life by Hugh Jackman’s charming performance. Alongside Zac Efron and Michelle Williams, the cast delivers standout performances that capture the story of P.T Barnum, who's ambitions were larger than life. While some critics claim the songs feel repetitive or draw parallels to Ronald Reagan (what?), I believe the score of this movie captivates a modern audience.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

Celeste D

Contrary to the reviews I highly enjoyed this. Wonderful music and entertaining to watch. I'd watch again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

Guilherme N

Why are there people who didn't like this movie?

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/07/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Michael Gracey

Director

Hugh Jackman

P.T. Barnum

Zac Efron

Phillip Carlyle

Michelle Williams

Charity Barnum

Rebecca Ferguson

Jenny Lind

Zendaya

Anne Wheeler

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Goodbye Christopher Robin

65%

70%

Goodbye Christopher Robin

TRAILER

for Goodbye Christopher Robin

Churchill

49%

54%

Churchill

TRAILER

for Churchill

Woodlawn

73%

80%

Woodlawn

TRAILER

for Woodlawn

Tommy's Honour

67%

69%

Tommy's Honour

TRAILER

for Tommy's Honour

The Man Who Invented Christmas

79%

78%

The Man Who Invented Christmas

TRAILER

for The Man Who Invented Christmas

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

“Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong” About… The Greatest Showman

New On DVD in April: Paddington 2, Phantom Thread, The Post and More

Box Office: Black Panther Smashes $1 Billion with 4th Weekend at #1

Fan Favorite Rotten Movies

25:12

The Greatest Showman: B-Roll 1

5:51

The Greatest Showman: B-Roll 2

3:58

The Greatest Showman: Trailer 2

2:15

The Greatest Showman: International Trailer 1

2:30

The Greatest Showman: Trailer 1

2:18

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now