Movies Like The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 drama, romance film from Cecil B. DeMille with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Trapeze and Freaks.

Drama Romance

Trapeze

1956

A pair of men try to perform the dangerous "triple" in their trapeze act. Problems arise when the duo is made into a trio following the addition of a sexy female performer.

6.2

MagicScore

Freaks

1932

A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

7.8

MagicScore

Behind the Sun

2001

Brazilian badlands, April 1910. Tonho is ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother. The young man knows that if he commits this crime, his life will be divided in two: the twenty years he has already lived and the few days he has left to live, before the other family avenges their son's death. He is torn between fulfilling his ancestral duty and rebelling against it, urged by his younger brother Pacu. That's when a tiny travelling circus passes through the vast badlands where Tonho's family lives.

7.3

MagicScore

Laugh, Clown, Laugh

1928

A despairing clown suffering a broken heart and a self-indulgent count who uncontrollably laughs learn to help each other with their problems, but both fall in love with the same young woman.

7.4

MagicScore

Big Top Bunny

1951

Bugs Bunny is hired to perform in Colonel Korny's Circus alongside Bruno the Magnificent, the Slobokian Acrobatic Bear, but Bruno doesn't want to share the limelight.

6.4

MagicScore

Werckmeister Harmonies

2001

A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.

7.9

MagicScore

Yoyo

1965

The story follows the son of a millionaire from the 1920s to the 1960s. After losing his fortune in the stock-exchange crash, he teams up with an equestrienne and becomes a circus clown.

7.0

MagicScore

He Who Gets Slapped

1924

After a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in public, a man joins a Parisian circus sideshow as a clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly and becomes infatuated with a showgirl colleague whose father intends to marry her off to the baron.

7.6

MagicScore

Mera Naam Joker

1970

Raju faces many hurdles and disappointments in matters of the heart throughout his life. But as a clown in a circus, he tries to make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. Along the way, Raju loves and loses, but must always keep a smile on his face because, in the words of his circus manager, "The show must go on."

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

2012

An original story featuring performances by Cirque du Soleil. A young woman is entranced by an Aerialist. When they fall into the dreamlike world of Cirque du Soleil and are separated, they travel through the different tent worlds trying to find each other.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

Santa Sangre

1989

A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless, cult leader mother, and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

The Wing or the Thigh?

1976

Charles Duchemin, a well-known gourmet and publisher of a famous restaurant guide, is waging a war against fast food entrepreneur Tri- catel to save the French art of cooking. After having agreed to appear on a talk show to show his skills in naming food and wine by taste, he is confronted with two disasters: his son wants to become a clown rather than a restaurant tester and he, the famous Charles Duchemin, has lost his taste!

7.2

MagicScore

#13

Dumbo

1941

Dumbo is a baby elephant born with over-sized ears and a supreme lack of confidence. But thanks to his even more diminutive buddy Timothy the Mouse, the pint-sized pachyderm learns to surmount all obstacles.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

Something Wicked This Way Comes

1983

In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?

6.4

MagicScore

#15

Red's Dream

1987

Life as the sole sale item in the clearance corner of Eben's Bikes can get lonely. So Red, a unicycle, dreams up a clown owner and his own juggling act that steals the show. But all too soon, the applause turns into the sound of rainfall, as reality rushes back. Red must resign himself to sitting in the corner and await his fate.

6.1

MagicScore

#16

3 Ring Circus

1954

Jerry and Pete are two friends with no money and are looking for a job. They finally find employment working in a circus, but Jerry has different dreams. He wants to become a clown.

5.5

MagicScore

#17

Variety

1925

The murderer “Boss” Huller – after having spent ten years in prison – breaks his silence to tell the warden his story.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

The Story of Three Loves

1953

Passengers on an ocean liner recall their greatest loves.

5.8

MagicScore

#19

Sawdust and Tinsel

1953

A number of complicated relationships develop between a circus ringmaster, his estranged wife and his lover.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

The Blue Angel

1930

Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Greatest Show on Earth?

The top films similar to The Greatest Show on Earth by MovieMagicScore are Trapeze (6.2), Freaks (7.8), Behind the Sun (7.3). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Greatest Show on Earth worth watching?

The Greatest Show on Earth holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 260 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Greatest Show on Earth?

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) is a drama, romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Greatest Show on Earth?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Trapeze Movies like Freaks Movies like Behind the Sun Movies like Laugh, Clown, Laugh Movies like Big Top Bunny Movies like Werckmeister Harmonies

About movies like The Greatest Show on Earth

This ranked list pairs The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), a drama and romance film from Cecil B. DeMille, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Betty Hutton take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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