The Greatest Show on Earth
“The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!”
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.
Genres
Drama, Romance
Studio
Paramount Pictures
Language
en
Status
Released
How The Greatest Show on Earth performed
Budget
$4.0M
Worldwide Gross
$36.0M
Gross Profit
$32.0M
Return
9.0× budget
Opening Wknd (est.)
$5M
Source: TMDB. Domestic/international split (~48/52, genre-typical) and the opening-weekend figure (30% of the domestic run, typical for Drama) are MoviesRankd estimates. Profit is gross revenue minus production budget and excludes marketing — studios typically need ~2–2.5× budget to break even.
Where to Watch
Cast
Holly
Betty Hutton
Holly
The Great Sebastian
Cornel Wilde
The Great Sebastian
Brad Braden
Charlton Heston
Brad Braden
Phyllis
Dorothy Lamour
Phyllis
Angel
Gloria Grahame
Angel
Buttons
James Stewart
Buttons
Agent Gregory
Henry Wilcoxon
Agent Gregory
Klaus
Lyle Bettger
Klaus
Mr. Henderson
Lawrence Tierney
Mr. Henderson
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Cucciola
Cucciola
Cucciola
Antoinette Concello
Antoinette Concello
Antoinette Concello
If you liked The Greatest Show on Earth
One from the Heart
1982
Water for Elephants
2011
The Lost Husband
2020
Life in a Year
2020
The Yellow Handkerchief
2009
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act
2026