The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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.

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The Greatest Showman

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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.

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Audience Says

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

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Critics Reviews

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The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Chris Bennion Times (UK) Give in. Roll up. Sing along. Aug 22, 2023 Full Review The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) 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 The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) 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 The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) 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 The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Quite incongruously,The Greatest Showmansuggests that Barnum is a heroic figure, a wokeentertainer and family man, who also capitalized on animal suffering and the veritable prostitution of human oddity. Rated: 1/4 Mar 16, 2022 Full Review The Greatest Showman (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) 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

Audience Reviews

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Mei THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW Rated 5/5 Stars • 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 4.5/5 Stars • 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 5/5 Stars • 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 4.5/5 Stars • 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 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review Guilherme N Why are there people who didn't like this movie? Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Michael Gracey Director Hugh Jackman P.T. Barnum Zac Efron Phillip Carlyle Michelle Williams Charity Barnum Rebecca Ferguson Jenny Lind Zendaya Anne Wheeler
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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)
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