How The Greatest Showman became a blockbuster phenomenon after being panned by critics

IT could have been a rock concert. Fans in fancy costumes were dancing in the aisles as music blared from the stage.

On a wet evening in a Berkshire cinema I’d joined the crazy army of devotees who have transformed Hugh Jackman’s latest film from a Christmas turkey into one of Hollywood’s wildest successes.

The Greatest Showman, the musical story of 19th Century American circus promoter PT Barnum, opened on Boxing Day to terrible reviews.

But three months later, the movie is still showing in cinemas all over Britain — and is even set to break box office records.

Fans are returning time and again to lap up the story of how Barnum made his fortune from a show featuring 3ft 3in dwarf Tom Thumb, various giants and a bearded woman.

And it has turned the movie into a monster hit — the biggest box office phenomenon for years. Some cinema-goers have seen it dozens of times.

Normally films only show in ­cinemas for four to five weeks but The Greatest Showman’s remarkable run has already seen off ­blockbusters including Oscar winner Darkest Hour and even Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The secret of its amazing success is its soundtrack — nine brilliant songs which are addictive enough to bring fans back time and again to hear them — and join in.

Stuart Crane, Head of Film at the Cineworld cinema chain, says: “We have customers who have seen it more than 20 times. One has even watched it 25 times.”

On Twitter last night superfan Christopher Goodall claimed to have seen it 26 times, and joked: “Unfortunately my gas and electric were shut off due to this addiction so I had to burn the tickets for warmth!”

Canny bosses at Odeon, Cineworld and London’s Prince Charles cinemas have been holding packed-out sing-along nights.

So I spent an evening at the flicks to find out why this musical, with songs by Oscar-winning La La Land writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, is so wildly popular. And inspired by the film’s ­frenzied fans, I clearly had to dress up for the occasion.

Wandering into the foyer in my top hat, tails and breeches, I felt out of place — until I met Michael Laverick, 25, who was also sporting a colourful Barnum outfit.

He has already seen The Greatest Showman an impressive 17 times — including six sing-along sessions, where the song lyrics are ­projected on to the screen and viewers dance in the aisles.

Michael, from Bracknell, Berks, says: “It’s like an addiction. It’s a fun ­family film. I defy anyone who sees it once not to want to go again.

“I don’t think I’ve seen one person come out of a screening looking unhappy. Some critics who panned the film said there was too much singing — but in my opinion you can’t have enough singing in a musical.

“I was disappointed the soundtrack didn’t win an Oscar but the track This Is Me did get a Golden Globe for best original song.

“The fact that I’ve been 17 times proves you’ll never get bored.

“I want to have seen it at least 20 times before it leaves the cinema.”

But that might be a while yet, according to experts who predict The Greatest Showman, which also stars Zac Efron, Michelle ­Williams and Rebecca Ferguson, might be the first film to stay in British ­cinemas until its DVD launch date, May 14.

Cineworld’s Stuart Crane says: “I think there is every chance it will keep going until the DVD launch. In 19 years in ­cinema I’ve never known a film like it. It was taking as much money in the eighth and ninth week as it was when it opened.”

Back at the cinema, I was ­beginning to understand the furore.

Bad reviews by critics — apart from The Sun’s Jamie East — and the fact that I’d hated Jackman in Les ­Miserables, had kept me away.

But as I danced along to the great songs that pack the story from the very start, I too was hooked.

And the moment Jackman pulled on his waistcoat and red jacket, rolled Barnum’s famous top hat up his arm and on to his head, I knew why the fans believe Showman is THE greatest musical ever.

Those fans have propelled its soundtrack to the top of the album chart, where it has stayed for an incredible 11 weeks — seeing off Adele and Ed Sheeran.

If George Ezra’s new album does not knock The Greatest Showman off top spot today, it could go on to become the longest-running film album since Grease, which stayed at No1 for 13 weeks in 1978.

And The Greatest Showman’s most popular song, This Is Me, spent nine weeks in the singles Top 10, reaching No3 on February 22 — eight weeks after its release. Remarkably, as word of mouth spread, box office takings were up in the film’s second and third weeks.

Until a couple of weeks ago The Greatest Showman was taking £1million each weekend in UK cinemas.

Les Miserables took £41.7million at the UK box office, and industry experts believe The Greatest ­Showman will outstrip it.

Cinemagoer Vicky Flack, 23, has seen Showman five times and has bought the album.

She says: “The album is doing really well because every single song in this musical is amazing and I ­genuinely love each one.

“You can’t help but want to get up and sing and dance.

“Normally with most musicals there’s one song that’s great and the rest are OK. My neighbours must be getting fed up with me playing the album over and over again.”

Even though the screening I attended was not an official sing-along session, the audience had started to sing from the moment Jackman and Efron belted out The Greatest Show.

Later, when Keala Settle as the Bearded Lady sings This Is Me — the song that captures the incredible journey of the unloved freaks who become stage heroes — everyone who has seen the film before sings along. Fan Michael says: “The songs are really catchy and even if there are people around me who don’t know the words I’ll just sing along.”

Mates Emma Witt, 32, Harriet Stott, 21, and Emma Wright, 28, who work in a toy factory, were on a girls’ night out at the cinema.

Emma Witt said: “We love the film because it is about people who don’t fit in being welcome. It’s a real ­message for our times and people love it because it’s a great story.”

Sun columnist Lorraine Kelly is also a massive fan.

She predicted — correctly, as I can confirm: “You will be whistling the tunes as you leave the cinema.”

And as superfan Vicky looked ­forward to seeing The Greatest Showman for a sixth time she said: “The critics who said it was rubbish and a dud must have egg on their faces now.

“Hundreds of thousands of people like me have proved them wrong — we love it.”

As if to prove the fans’ predictions, at the end of the evening I wandered out of the cinema tunelessly singing the lyrics: “Watching it come true, it’s taking over you. Oh, this is the greatest show . . . ”