The Greatest Showman (2017)

Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Director:

Michael Gracey

Writers:

Jenny Bicks (screenplay by), Bill Condon (screenplay by)

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	P.T. Barnum
Michelle Williams	...	Charity Barnum
Zac Efron	...	Phillip Carlyle
Zendaya	...	Anne Wheeler
Rebecca Ferguson	...	Jenny Lind
Austyn Johnson	...	Caroline Barnum
Cameron Seely	...	Helen Barnum
Keala Settle	...	Lettie Lutz
Sam Humphrey	...	Tom Thumb
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II	...	W.D. Wheeler
Eric Anderson	...	Mr. O'Malley
Ellis Rubin	...	Young Barnum
Skylar Dunn	...	Young Charity
Daniel Everidge	...	Lord of Leeds
Radu Spinghel	...	O'Clancy

Storyline

Orphaned, penniless but ambitious and with a mind crammed with imagination and fresh ideas, the American Phineas Taylor Barnum will always be remembered as the man with the gift to effortlessly blur the line between reality and fiction. Thirsty for innovation and hungry for success, the son of a tailor will manage to open a wax museum but will soon shift focus to the unique and peculiar, introducing extraordinary, never-seen-before live acts on the circus stage. Some will call Barnum's wide collection of oddities, a freak show; however, when the obsessed showman gambles everything on the opera singer Jenny Lind to appeal to a high-brow audience, he will somehow lose sight of the most important aspect of his life: his family. Will Barnum risk it all to be accepted?

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Plot Keywords:

singing | circus | bearded lady | social outcast | social prejudice | 

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Taglines:

The Impossible Comes True

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements including a brawl

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Greatest Showman

Filming Locations:

1 E 78th St, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$84,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,805,843, 24 December 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$174,340,174

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$434,950,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barnum's American Museum was so popular that the crowds inside would linger much too long, thereby cutting into profits. To make way for additional paying customers, he posted signs indicating "This Way to the Egress." Unaware that "Egress" was another word for "Exit," people followed the signs to what they assumed was a fascinating exhibit, and they ended up going outside.

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Goofs

When the young P. T. Barnum and his father are leaving Charity's home he is carrying fabric which include yellow fabric bolt and a purple patterned fabric bolt, when he spills them down the stairs those fabrics are different colors.

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Quotes

Jenny Lind: You are the American. I believe I might have heard of you.
P.T. Barnum: Oh well, If you've heard of me all the way over here, I must have been doing something right.
Jenny Lind: That, or something very wrong.
P.T. Barnum: In the world of publicity there is hardly any difference.
Jenny Lind: I believe those are the words of a scoundrel, Mr Barnum.
P.T. Barnum: A showman, Miss Lind, just a showman. The best on my side of the Atlantic.

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Crazy Credits

An old-fashioned 20th Century Fox logo is shown before the modern one. It was from a 4K digital scan of the 1958 film The Long, Hot Summer.

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Connections

Referenced in Britain's Got Talent: 2018: The Live Final (2018)

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Soundtracks

Never Enough (Reprise)
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Performed by Loren Allred
Produced by Joseph Trapanese, Justin Paul, Alex Lacamoire
Mixed by Greg Wells

User Reviews

A Birthday Surprise

Sunday was my niece's birthday. 16. I invited her and two of her friends to do whatever they wanted. They chose to stay home, eat cake and watch The Greatest Showman on HBO and I thought Oh no. But, I had cake with them and sat to watch this Michael Gracy, who? Michael Gracy to see the story of PT Barnum with Hugh Jackman. Sentimental and pretty, yes but also, engrossing, moving, beautiful and structured in such a way that doesn't fall into the usual biopic traps. It moves at a breathless pace with smart and unexpected transitions. Hugh Jackman is great and Michelle Williams truthful to a fault. She's never less than that. What a wonderful actress. Zac Effron gives, what it may very well be, his most convincing performance and the Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson was a revelation to me. The script by Jenny Bicks and the remarkable Bill Condon tells a classic tale with contemporary rhythms and contemporary pace. Needless to say, I enjoyed it much more that I could possibly had imagine. So, thank you Lilli, happy 16!