The Greatest Showman
2017 film directed by Michael Gracey
The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. Featuring nine original songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and an original musical orchestral score composed by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese, the film is a heavily fictionalized depiction of the life of P. T. Barnum, a showman and entertainer who created the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and its star attractions.
The Greatest Showman premiered on December 8, 2017, aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2 in New York City and was released in the United States on December 20, by 20th Century Fox, seven months after Ringling folded and six years before the circus was reinstated as an animal free institution. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, music, visuals, and production values, but criticised its artistic license and overdramatic story. It was a box-office success, grossing $471.9 million worldwide against a $84 million budget. The film received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Jackman at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. The Greatest Showman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "This Is Me", which was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards, and won Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. A stage musical adaptation was in development from the Disney Theatrical Group following their parent company's acquisition of the film and the Fox assets in 2019, which opened in Bristol in spring 2026.
Plot
In the 19th century, young P. T. Barnum and his tailor father Philo work for the Hallett family.
The public source identifies “The Greatest Showman” as 2017 film directed by Michael Gracey. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Greatest, Showman and film.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27942936. VIAF identifies the subject as 1709151535361302890001. The Library of Congress control number is no2017167398. 2 of 7 selected statements include explicit references; 3 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2017, 2019 and 2026.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Greatest Showman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.