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:

Experience the award-winning music!

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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

Among Barnum's "freaks," the film portrays Asian conjoined twins. The actual twins were Chang and Eng Bunker, two brothers born in Siam (modern day Thailand), whose heritage was the basis of the term "Siamese twins." Chang and Eng retired after their life in Barnum's circus to North Carolina, got married and had eleven children and ten children, respectively. However, they became destitute after the American Civil War and went on tour again. They both died in 1874, Chang from a brain blood clot and Eng from heart failure, or shock (the sources differ), merely three hours later.

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Goofs

Barnum and Charity dance on the rooftops early in the film, depicting the start of their lives together in New York. This would haven been in the 1830s, yet the Brooklyn Bridge is seen under construction in the background. Construction on the Brooklyn Bridge did not start until 1869.

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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

The rolling credits are displayed over hand-painted artwork summarizing visual highlights in the film from beginning to end.

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Connections

Featured in Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong with The Greatest Showman (2018)

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Soundtracks

Come Alive
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Performed by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Daniel Everidge, Zendaya & The Greatest Showman Ensemble
Produced by Greg Wells, Justin Paul, Alex Lacamoire, Ricky Reed
Mixed by Greg Wells

User Reviews

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

It has been SO long since a movie/musical made me feel so...HAPPY! This movie is absolutely FANTASTIC! Everything from the incredible, toe-tapping, music to the heartfelt, dream-filled, story-line! I was so immersed in the movie that at some point I totally forgot I was sitting in a packed theater on Christmas Night! I'll even admit that I broke the cardinal rule and actually turned on my cell phone to download the the ENTIRE soundtrack while still in the theater...and I was only two songs in!! I will also admit that I am a 42yr old who left that theater feeling like a little kid again, wishing that I can twirl my way to the car without being looked at as crazy! LOL!! I've already seen it twice in as many days, and I plan on seeing it TONS more until I can own it for myself! It is DEFINITELY a movie that you have to experience in a theater though, so PLEASE ignore the snub-nosed critics and go see this magical film! You won't regret it!