The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. Featuring nine original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the film was inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum’s creation of Barnum’s American Museum and the lives of its star attractions.

Principal photography began in New York City in November 2016. The film premiered on December 8, 2017, aboard RMS Queen Mary 2. It was released in the United States on December 20, 2017, by 20th Century Fox, seven months after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ceased operations, and grossed $435 million worldwide, making it the fifth-highest-grossing live-action musical of all time.

The film was criticised for its artistic license, with some reviewers calling it “faux-inspiring and shallow”, but was praised for the performances, music, and production values, and received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Jackman at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song “This Is Me”, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards and won the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Plot

As a child, P. T. Barnum and his tailor father, Philo, work for the Hallett family. Barnum and Hallett’s daughter Charity, grow up together and eventually fall in love. When Charity attends finishing school, they write to each other, eventually marrying and raising two daughters, Caroline and Helen, in New York City. They live a humble life; though Charity is happy, Barnum craves more. (“A Million Dreams”)

Barnum loses his shipping clerk job when the company goes bankrupt. He later secures a bank loan, deceptively using his former employer’s lost ships as “collateral”. He opens Barnum’s American Museum in downtown Manhattan which features various wax figures. Ticket sales are slow, so his children suggest showcasing something “alive”. Barnum adds “freak” performers, such as bearded lady Lettie Lutz. This garners higher attendance, but also protests and poor reviews from well-known critic James Gordon Bennett. (“Come Alive”)

Barnum renames his venture, “Barnum’s Circus” and recruits playwright Phillip Carlyle to help generate publicity (“The Other Side”). Phillip is mesmerized by the African American trapeze artist, Anne Wheeler, but he hides his feelings. While touring abroad, Phillip arranges for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria. Barnum persuades famed Swedish singer Jenny Lind to tour America, with him as her manager. Lind’s American debut is a success. During her song, Phillip’s parents see him and Anne holding hands (“Never Enough”). As Barnum gains favor with aristocratic patrons, he distances himself from his troupe, advising them to work without him. Dejected, they decide to stand against local harassers (“This Is Me”).

When Phillip and Anne attend the theater together, they run into Phillip’s parents. They chastise him for “parading around with the help”. Phillip tries to convince Anne that they can be together, but she disagrees, saying they will never be accepted socially (“Rewrite the Stars”). As Barnum takes Lind on a U.S. tour, Charity, who stays home with their daughters, feels isolated from her husband (“Tightrope”). While on tour, Lind becomes romantically attracted to Barnum. When he rebuffs her, she threatens to quit and later retaliates with a surprise kiss at the end of her last show, which is photographed by the press.

Barnum returns home to find his circus on fire, caused by a fight between protesters and the troupe. Phillip runs into the burning building, believing Anne is inside. He suffers serious injuries before Barnum rescues him. Barnum learns the culprits have been caught and that Lind has canceled her tour after her and Barnum’s “scandal”. Barnum’s mansion is foreclosed upon and Charity takes their daughters to her parents’ home.

Devastated, Barnum retreats to a local bar. His troupe finds him there and say that despite their disappointments, they still consider themselves a family. Inspired, he resolves to build a new show and not let ambition rule him (“From Now On”). Phillip awakens in a hospital with Anne by his side, while Barnum and Charity reunite. (“Rewrite the Stars: Reprise”).

The recovering Phillip offers his share of the profits to help Barnum rebuild the circus in exchange for becoming a full partner, which Barnum readily accepts. To economize, Barnum transforms the enterprise into an open-air tent circus. The revamped circus is a huge success and Barnum has Phillip oversee daily operations so he can spend more time with his family. In the last scene, Barnum leaves the circus early and arrives on an elephant to watch his daughters’ ballet recital with his wife (“The Greatest Show”).

Cast

Production

During rehearsals for the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon compared host Jackman to Barnum. After Jackman expressed interest in a Barnum project, Mark and Condon approached Jenny Bicks, a writer for the ceremony. She and Condon wrote The Greatest Showman. The project was first announced in 2009, with Jackman already set for the title role. In August 2011, Michael Gracey was chosen to direct. In 2013, Fox hired lyricists Pasek and Paul to write the songs.

On June 15, 2016, Zac Efron began negotiations to star in the film, and in July 2016, Michelle Williams was cast. The film was choreographed by Ashley Wallen.

Filming

Rehearsals on the film began in October 2016 in New York City, and principal photography began on November 22, 2016.

Post-production

In December 2017, it was reported that James Mangold, who had worked with Jackman on several projects (including 2017’s Logan), had been brought in to serve as an executive producer during the film’s post-production. In an interview, director Michael Gracey noted, “There were eight producers on this film, and it was amazing having one of them be a filmmaker.”

Music

Musical numbers

All tracks are written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album is produced by Justin Paul, Benj Pasek, Greg Wells, Kevin Weaver and Pete Ganbarg, featuring the eleven tracks performed by the cast. In the United Kingdom, on March 23, 2018, it became only the second album in 30 years to achieve 11 consecutive weeks at number 1, equalling the record set by Adele’s 21. As of January 25, 2019, the album has spent the sixth most time at number one at 28 non-consecutive weeks, matching the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Greatest Showman: Reimagined

On November 16, 2018, a remix album was also released, The Greatest Showman: Reimagined, which features covers of songs from the soundtrack by musicians including James Arthur, Anne-Marie, Sara Bareilles, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Pink, Panic! At the Disco, Years & Years, Jess Glynne, Ty Dolla $ign, Missy Elliott and Zac Brown Band among others.

Release

The Greatest Showman held its premiere on December 8, 2017, aboard RMS Queen Mary 2, while it was docked in New York City. The film was then released in the United States on December 20, 2017.

As with Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, a sing-along version of the film was released in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2018. The film had a limited IMAX release on 2 February 2018.

Marketing

On June 28, 2017, 20th Century Fox released the first international trailer to promote the film. On November 13, 2017, the second trailer was released.

On December 17, 2017, Fox televised a live performance of “Come Alive” from Warner Bros. Studios during its live musical special A Christmas Story Live! (which was based on fellow Pasek and Paul work A Christmas Story: The Musical). The number featured the film’s stars and a cast of 150 dancers.

Home media

In the United States, the film was released via digital download on March 20, 2018, and was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD on April 10, 2018.

In the United Kingdom, the film was released first on digital download on April 27, 2018, while DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD copies went on sale on May 14, 2018. These versions included the sing-along version, two hours of behind-the-scenes footage, and music machine jukebox features.

The Greatest Showman was released on The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service Disney+ on August 14, 2020, following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019.

Reception

Box office

The Greatest Showman spent 219 days in release, closing on July 26, 2018, having grossed $174.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $260.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $435 million, against a production budget of $84 million. It is the third-highest-grossing musical ever in North America and also the third-highest globally, and Deadline Hollywood estimated the film would turn a profit of $50–100 million.

In the United States and Canada, The Greatest Showman was released alongside Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and was projected to gross around $21 million from 3,006 theaters over its first six days. It took in $2.5 million on its first day and $2.1 million on its second. Over the three-day weekend, it grossed $9 million (for a six-day total of $19 million), finishing fourth at the box office, behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Pitch Perfect 3. In its second weekend, the film grossed $15.5 million, again finishing 4th at the box office. The weekend-to-weekend increase of 76.3% marked the largest ever for a film playing in over 3,000 theaters, and the fourth biggest ever. In its third week, the film dropped 11% to $14 million. The film made $13 million in its fourth weekend and $11 million in its fifth, finishing 4th and 5th at the box office, respectively. The film continued to hold well in its sixth week of release, grossing $9.5 million and returning to 4th place, and again finished fourth in its seventh week, this time grossing $7.8 million (a drop of just 18%). It is the 14th-highest-grossing film that never reached first place at the American box office.

Critical response

According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 263 reviews are positive for the film, and the average rating is 6/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “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.” On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 70% “definite recommend”.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing, “The Greatest Showman is a concoction, the kind of film where all the pieces click into place, yet at an hour and 45 minutes it flies by, and the link it draws between P. T. Barnum and the spirit of today is more than hype.” Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3/4 stars, saying, “With all that corn and cheese and old-timey sentiment, The Greatest Showman ends up scoring some very timely social arguments. P. T. Barnum himself would have approved the dramatic sleight of hand.” Steve Persall of Tampa Bay Times gave the film an ‘A’, and said, “The Greatest Showman is the feel-good movie the holiday season needs,” while William Bibbiani of IGN gave The Greatest Showman a score of 7.9/10, and called the film, “wildly entertaining”.

Britton Peele of The Dallas Morning News said, “The story is interesting and the beats are well acted, but it’s the musical numbers that make The Greatest Showman.” Jackie K Cooper of HuffPost gave the film a score of 10/10 and wrote, “You will be overwhelmed by the music and magic that explode on the screen. The film has a message that should resonate with today’s world concerning acceptance and courage.” Hugh Armitage of Digital Spy said, “The Greatest Showman is a broad and solid crowd-pleaser. An undemanding spectacle for all the family.” Alan Jones of the Radio Times called it “A joyously uplifting potpourri of visual resplendence, stylish choreography and solid gold magic, one engineered to approximate the lavish spectacle the movie musical once offered.”

Sheila O’Malley of RogerEbert.com gave it 3.5/4, stating “The Greatest Showman is an unabashed piece of pure entertainment punctuated by memorable songs.” James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film a 3/4 score, and said, “The film has show-stopping well-choreographed numbers with catchy tunes,” and Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called the film “highly enjoyable.”

Carl Kozlowski of Pasadena Weekly gave the film an ‘A’, calling it “Groundbreaking & grandly innovative.” Sean P. Means of The Salt Lake Tribune gave The Greatest Showman 3.5/4 stars, stating, “A strong cast give emotional power to this romanticized, tune-filled biography.” Manuela Lazic of Little White Lies gave it 4/5, saying, “The Greatest Showman deserves to become a Christmas classic. The film’s severe romanticism and ridiculous but affecting enthusiasm make it irresistibly life-affirming.” Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and called it, “A fantasia of song and dance, a joyous exercise in pure entertainment that is made for the holiday crowd.”

Conversely, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a negative review, criticizing the songs and characters and saying “There’s idiotic, and there’s magnificent, but The Greatest Showman is that special thing that happens sometimes. It’s magnificently idiotic. It’s an awful mess, but it’s flashy. The temptation is to cover your face and watch it through your fingers, because it’s so earnest and embarrassing and misguided—and yet it’s well made.” In a negative review for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney wrote “This ersatz portrait of American big-top tent impresario P. T. Barnum is all smoke and mirrors, no substance. It hammers pedestrian themes of family, friendship and inclusivity while neglecting the fundaments of character and story.”

Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, saying, “How do you cast a virtuoso Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, spare no expense in production values, add a score by Oscar and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and still end up with the shrill blast of nothing that is The Greatest Showman? Ask first-time director Michael Gracey, who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos without ever mastering the crucial knack of building snippets of musical comedy and drama into a satisfying whole.” Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film’s failures “are rooted in something deeper: a dispiriting lack of faith in the audience’s intelligence, and a dawning awareness of its own aesthetic hypocrisy. You’ve rarely seen a more straight-laced musical about the joys of letting your freak flag fly.”

The film has been criticized for whitewashing Barnum’s life and his perpetuation of human zoos as a form of entertainment.

Accolades

Sequel

In September 2019, a sequel for the film was already in development, with Jackman confirmed to reprise his role. However, the sequel’s future is now uncertain after Disney chose to end a distribution deal for Chernin Entertainment’s films by 20th Century Fox in early 2020.