Hugh Jackman clearly loved making The Greatest Showman almost as much as fans loved watching it. The musical was a phenomenal success after its December 2017 release, and the soundtrack set even more records for the musical than the box office.
That said, Hugh Jackman admitted the wide-reaching success of the movie has affected his life in a funny way. It's actually kind of fitting for the story, too, when you consider his P. T. Barnum ends up being so caught up in his career that it briefly overshadows his wife and kids back home.
Here's what Hugh Jackman told The Herald Sun in Australia (via Daily Mail) about one "difficult" thing about the movie's success:
It's made it difficult going to my daughter's dance classes. I used to go every week and nobody really cared. The dance school was not your classic Wolverine fanbase. Now I go and the songs from The Greatest Showman are playing in nearly every dance class so it's a bit different.
I'm disappointed to hear local dance schools in Australia aren't doing Wolverine-themed performances. But it's true that PG-rated The Greatest Showman was a change of pace for Hugh Jackman. He shot to worldwide fame as Logan/Wolverine in X-Men in 2000 and has mostly done serious dramas or stage productions apart from his time as the Marvel Comics hero.
It didn't really occur to me that The Greatest Showman would be fully introducing Hugh Jackman to a whole new younger fan base, but it does make sense when you look at the rest of his filmography.
Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness have two children, including the now 14-year-old Ava. I wonder if she gets tired of hearing The Greatest Showman songs or loves them too.
I love Hugh Jackman almost as much as Ryan Reynolds loves him, but it is kind of a humble-brag for Jackman to point out how ubiquitous The Greatest Showman soundtrack has become. And in the past, he's expressed delight at overhearing songs from the soundtrack in his everyday life. But I can see how it might make things awkward at his daughter's dance class if he's expected to sing along to the movie's music -- or pretend like it's not playing in front of him.
The Greatest Showman made $434,993,183 worldwide off a production budget reported to be $84 million, per Box Office Mojo. Hugh Jackman previously told the BBC he'd be open to a Greatest Showman sequel:
If a genuine opportunity came up where it felt like the right thing to do, then yep, I'd get the top hat back out. It's clear to me and to everyone that people love these characters. I loved this movie, I loved this character and it was one of the great joys of my life.
Would you like to see a sequel to The Greatest Showman? I wonder if that soundtrack would do as well as the first one, and then it can play constantly at dance classes (and everywhere else). Hugh Jackman can next be seen in the comedy/drama Bad Education, which is premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Keep up with all of the movies heading to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release guide.
