The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American musical 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. The film is inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum's creation of the Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus 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 the RMS Queen Mary 2. It was released in the United States on December 20, 2017, by 20th Century Fox and grossed over $434million worldwide, making it the fifth-highest grossing live-action musical of all time.

The Greatest Showman received mixed reviews, with praise for the performances, music, and production values, but criticism for its artistic license, with some reviewers calling it "faux-inspiring and shallow". At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, the film received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Jackman. For the song "This Is Me", the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards.

Plot
In the late 19th century, P. T. Barnum and his troupe perform a show at the circus ("The Greatest Show"). In a flashback to Barnum's childhood where he and his father Philo, a tailor, work for the Hallett family, he becomes infatuated with their daughter, Charity. Though Charity is being sent to finishing school, Barnum reassures her they will not be separated. The two keep in touch through letters until they meet again in adulthood ("A Million Dreams"), eventually marrying and raising two daughters, Caroline and Helen, in New York City ("A Million Dreams" reprise). They live a humble life; though Charity is happy, Barnum dreams of more.

Barnum loses his job as a clerk at a shipping company after the company goes bankrupt. Taking a risky bet, he takes out a large loan from a bank, deceiving the bank into accepting his former employer's lost ships as collateral. He uses this loan to buy Barnum's American Museum in downtown Manhattan, an attraction showcasing various wax models. Initially, sales are slow; on the suggestion of his children to showcase something "alive", Barnum searches for "freaks" to serve as performers for his museum ("Come Alive"). This attracts a large audience despite protests and poor reviews, prompting Barnum to rename his venture "Barnum's Circus."

Searching for ways to further his reputation amongst the upper class, Barnum meets playwright Phillip Carlyle and convinces him to join his venture ("The Other Side"). Carlyle is enchanted with Anne Wheeler, an African-American trapeze artist, but he hides his feelings. During a trip, Carlyle arranges for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria. Afterwards, Barnum meets Jenny Lind, a famed Swedish singer, whom he convinces to perform in America, with him serving as her manager. Lind's first American performance is a rousing success ("Never Enough"). While Barnum gains favor with the aristocratic patrons, he begins to distance himself from his original troupe, refusing to socialize with them. Dejected, they decide to stand against their local harassers ("This Is Me").

Carlyle and Wheeler attend the theater together one night, only to run into Carlyle's parents, who are blatantly racist toward Wheeler, causing her to leave. Carlyle chases her and tries to convince her that they can be together, but she rejects him despite her feelings towards him ("Rewrite the Stars"). As Barnum takes Lind on a US tour, Charity feels isolated from her husband as she stays home with their daughters ("Tightrope"). While on tour, Lind begins falling in love with Barnum, but when he refuses her advances, she calls off the tour and kisses him at the end of her last show, which is photographed by the press ("Never Enough" reprise). Barnum returns home to find his circus on fire, caused by a fight between the protesters and the troupe. Carlyle, who had tried to save Anne not knowing she had already escaped, is rescued by Barnum amid the chaos but suffers severe burns. Most of the sets and props are destroyed. Word of Lind's cancellation and Barnum's public intimacy also reaches New York, resulting in his mansion being foreclosed upon and Charity taking Caroline and Helen to her parents' home.

Depressed, Barnum retreats to a local bar, where his troupe find him there and explain that despite their disappointments, they still consider themselves a family that needs him. An inspired Barnum resolves not to start anew and not let ambition overtake his loved ones anymore. Meanwhile, the injured Carlyle wakes in a hospital with Anne by his side and they share a kiss ("From Now On").

Barnum leaves and finds his estranged wife, and they decide to mend their relationship. Faced with the financial difficulty of rebuilding the circus, the recovering Carlyle steps in, offering to use his earnings from his share of the circus's profits to rebuild it under the condition of becoming partners, which Barnum happily accepts. As rebuilding the circus in its original location would be too expensive, Barnum rebuilds it as an open-air tent circus by the docks. The revamped circus is a huge success, and Barnum gives full control of the show to Carlyle so he can focus on his family ("The Greatest Show" reprise).

Cast

 * Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, an ambitious showman and entrepreneur.
 * Ellis Rubin as Young P. T. Barnum
 * Ziv Zaifman provides Young P. T. Barnum's singing voice.
 * Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, a playwright who becomes Barnum's partner. His character is partly based on James Anthony Bailey.
 * Michelle Williams as Charity Hallett-Barnum, the wife of P.T. Barnum.
 * Skylar Dunn as Young Charity
 * Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish singer known as the "Swedish Nightingale".
 * Loren Allred provides Lind's singing voice.
 * Zendaya as Anne Wheeler, an acrobat, trapeze artist, W.D.'s younger sister and Phillip Carlyle's love interest. Her character is partly based on Ruth Louisa McCaddon.
 * Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady. She is a composite character partly based on Josephine Clofullia and Annie Jones.
 * Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as W. D. Wheeler, an acrobat and Anne's brother.
 * Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Deng Yan, a Chinese acrobat and blade-specialist.
 * Paul Sparks as James Gordon Bennett, the founder, editor and publisher of the New York Herald.
 * Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton, a dwarf performer who is also known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb.
 * James Babson provides Stratton's speaking and singing voice.
 * Austyn Johnson as Caroline Barnum, one of Barnum's daughters.
 * Cameron Seely as Helen Barnum, one of Barnum's daughters.
 * Eric Anderson as Mr. O'Malley, a former thief whom Barnum employs at his circus to handle different tasks like staffing the front of the house, selling tickets, reading the reviews, fending off the protestors, producing the posters and promotional materials, and distributing the circus posters on everything.
 * Daniel Everidge as The Lord of Leeds, a heavyweight man who is based on Teodulo Valenzuela.
 * Timothy Hughes as the Strongman, a man with enhanced strength who is based on Angus MacAskill.
 * Shannon Holtzapffel as Prince Constantine, the Tattooed Man who is based off George Costentenus.
 * Luciano Acuna Jr. as Walter, the Dog Boy who is based on Fedor Jeftichew.
 * Danial Son and Yusaku Komori as Chang and Eng Bunker, the "Siamese Twins."
 * Jonathan Redavid as Frank Lentini, the Three-Legged Man.
 * Nick Jantz as Jeff Harris, the Juggler.
 * Kenneth Chan as the Human Cannonball
 * Martha Nichols as Woman in Gold, a woman in gold clothing with gold spots on her.
 * Jeremy Hudson as The Elephant-Skinned Man, a man who is based on Ralph Krooner. He was credited as "Dancer Oddity #3."
 * Taylor James as Blockhead, a man with facial piercing that is based on Melvin Burkhart. He is credited as "Dancing Oddity #4."
 * Chelsea Caso as Tattoo Lady, a woman covered in tattoos who is based on Nora Hildebrant. She is credited as "Dancing Oddity #5."
 * Caoife Coleman and Mishay Petronelli as the Albino Twins. They were credited as "Dancer Oddity #6" and "Dancer Oddity #7."
 * Khasan Brasilford as Albino Man, a white-haired man in white clothes. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #1."
 * Alex Wong as Oriental Man, a man dressed in an oriental outfit. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #2."
 * Julius Rubio as Golden Boy, a man in gold clothing with gold spots on him. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #2."
 * Vincent-Oliver Noiseux as Devil Boy, a performer with horns. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #4."
 * Dean Walters and Jessica Castro as the Voodoo Twins. They are credited as "Ensemble Dancer #5" and "Ensemble Dancer" #6.
 * Najla Gilam as Snake Dancer, a snake charmer who is based on Nala Damajanti. She was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #7."
 * Damian Young as Mr. Winthrop
 * Tina Benko as Mrs. Winthrop
 * Gayle Rankin as Queen Victoria.
 * Will Swenson as Philo Barnum, a tailor and the father of P. T. Barnum.
 * Fredric Lehne as Benjamin Hallett, father of Charity and abusive father-in-law of Barnum.
 * Kathryn Meisle as Hannah Hallett, mother of Charity and mother-in-law of Barnum.

Production
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."

Musical numbers
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote nine songs.


 * 1) "The Greatest Show" – Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya
 * 2) "A Million Dreams" – Ziv Zaifman, Jackman, Michelle Williams
 * 3) "A Million Dreams" (Reprise) – Austyn Johnson, Cameron Seely, Jackman
 * 4) "Come Alive" – Jackman, Settle, Daniel Everidge, Zendaya
 * 5) "The Other Side" – Jackman & Efron
 * 6) "Never Enough" – Loren Allred
 * 7) "This Is Me" – Settle
 * 8) "Rewrite the Stars" – Efron & Zendaya
 * 9) "Tightrope" – Williams
 * 10) "Never Enough" (Reprise) – Allred
 * 11) "From Now On" – Jackman

Soundtrack
The soundtrack album is produced by Greg Wells, Justin Paul, and Benj Pasek, featuring eleven tracks performed by the cast. In the United Kingdom it became only the second album in 30 years to achieve 11 consecutive weeks at number 1. The Greatest Showman now draws level with Adele's 21 for the longest unbroken run at the UK summit in the last 30 years. The cast album is now at 910,000 combined units, according to the Official Charts Company, made up of 420,000 physical copies, 186,000 downloads and 186,000 streaming.

Release
The Greatest Showman held its premiere on December 8, 2017, aboard the 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. Like 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 February 2.

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 Blu-ray, DVD 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 Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD copies went on sale on May 14. These versions include the sing-along version, two hours of behind-the-scenes footage and music machine jukebox features.

Box office
, The Greatest Showman has grossed $174.3million in the United States and Canada, and $259.9million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $434.2million, against a production budget of $84million. It is the third highest grossing musical ever in North America and globally, respectively, and Deadline Hollywood estimated the film would turn a profit between $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 $21million from 3,006 theaters over its first six days. It took in $2million on its first day and $2million on its second. Over the three day weekend, it grossed $9million (for a six-day total of $19million), 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 $15.5million, 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 $14million.

The film made $13million in its fourth weekend and $11million 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 $9.5million and returning to 4th place, and again finished fourth in its seventh week, this time grossing $7.8million (a drop of just 18%). It is the 13th highest-grossing film to never top the American box office.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 208 reviews, and an average rating of 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 it earned a 70% "definite recommend" from comScore.

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 Radio Times called it "A joyously uplifting potpourii 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." Douglas Davidson of CLTure called the film, "An undeniable spectacle with a infectious soundtrack, a movie that dazzles and delights." 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 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."

Historical accuracy
Detailing the differences between the biography of Barnum, and the character portrayed the film, Smithsonian magazine called the film "pretty humbug." The magazine noted that one of the legacies ascribed to the real Barnum was his profiting from marketing racism to the masses, even though later in life he came to express some regrets.