The Greatest Showman

Movie Details:

Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Biography, Drama, Musical
Release date	December 8, 2017 (RMS Queen Mary 2) December 20, 2017 (United States)
Running time	1hr 45min
Age rating	PG
Starring	Hugh Jackman Zac Efron Michelle Williams Rebecca Ferguson Zendaya
Directed by	Michael Gracey
Story by	Jenny Bicks
Screenplay by	Jenny Bicks Bill Condon
Produced by	Laurence Mark Peter Chernin Jenno Topping
Cinematography by	Seamus McGarvey
Edited by	Tom Cross Robert Duffy Joe Hutshing Michael McCusker Jon Poll Spencer Susser
Music by	John Debney (score) Joseph Trapanese (score) Pasek and Paul (songs)
Production Company	Laurence Mark Productions Chernin Entertainment TSG Entertainment
Distributor	20th Century Fox

Cast & Characters:

• Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, an ambitious showman and entrepreneur
  • Ziv Zaifman provides young Barnum’s singing voice
• Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, a playwright who becomes Barnum’s partner
• 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, and Phillip’s love interest
• Austyn Johnson as Caroline Barnum, a daughter of Barnum and Charity who takes up ballet
• Cameron Seely as Helen Barnum, a daughter of Barnum and Charity
• Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady
• Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton, a dwarf performer known by his stage name “General Tom Thumb”
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as W. D. Wheeler, an acrobat and Anne’s older brother
• Eric Anderson as Mr. O’Malley, a former pickpocket whom Barnum employs at his circus
• 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
• Fredric Lehne as Benjamin Hallett, Charity’s father
• Gayle Rankin as Queen Victoria
• Byron Jennings as Mr. Carlyle, Phillip’s father
• Betsy Aidem as Mrs. Carlyle, Phillip’s mother
• Damian Young as Mr. Winthrop
• Tina Benko as Mrs. Winthrop
• Will Swenson as Philo Barnum, a tailor and P. T. Barnum’s late father
• Radu Spinghel as Vasily “O’Clancy” Karpov, the tall man based on circus giant “Captain” George Auger
• Luciano Acuna Jr. as the Dog Boy, based on Fedor Jeftichew
• Caoife Coleman and Mishay Petronelli as the Albino Twins
• Danial Son and Yusaku Komori as Chang and Eng Bunker, the Siamese Twins
• Daniel Everidge as the Lord of Leeds, a fat man
• Timothy Hughes as Strongman
• Shannon Holtzapffel as Captain Constentenus, the Tattooed Man
• Kenneth Wong Chan as Human Cannonball
• Jamie Jackson as the Boss of Barnum’s first job
• Martha Nichols as Woman in Gold
• Shuler Hensley as Lead Protestor

Storyline:

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

About Movie:

The Greatest Showman is an American biographical musical drama directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut. Produced by Laurence Mark, Peter Chernin, and Jenno Topping, with a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, the film is based on a story developed by Bicks.

The cast features Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. The movie includes nine original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, with a musical score composed by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese.

The film took seven years to develop, with Jackman undergoing ten weeks of preparation before filming began. Rehearsals started in New York City in October 2016, and principal photography commenced on November 22, 2016.

The Greatest Showman premiered on December 8, 2017, aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2 and was released in U.S. theaters on December 20, 2017, by 20th Century Fox, just months after the closure of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film grossed $435 million worldwide, ranking as the fifth-highest-grossing live-action musical of all time.

While the movie was praised for its performances, music, visuals, and production quality, it faced criticism for taking creative liberties with historical facts. It received nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Hugh Jackman.

The film’s hit song “This Is Me” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for the same category at the 90th Academy Awards. The soundtrack also won Best Soundtrack at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, a stage musical adaptation is being developed by Disney Theatrical Group.

Budget & Box Office Collection:

Budget	$84 million
Domestic Opening	$8,805,843
Domestic Collection	$174,340,174
International Collection	$284,725,272
Worldwide Collection	$459,066,134