Movies like Call of the Circus (1930)
The best movies like Call of the Circus (1930) are He Who Gets Slapped (1924), Water for Elephants (2011) and The Circus (1928). If Call of the Circus hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Circus (1928)7.9/10 from 929 votes
- NewestSaving Flora (2019)Released 2019
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWater for Elephants (2011)
In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Circus (1928)
Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLaugh, 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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaving Flora (2019)
Flora is a circus elephant who can no longer perform her tricks. The night before she's scheduled to be euthanized, the circus owner's 14-year old daughter, Dawn, sneaks Flora from the circus. All that stands between them and the safety of the elephant preserve is two hundred kilometers of woods, one raging river, two elephant hunters and the fear of not making it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Greatest Showman (2017)
The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Butterfly Circus (2009)
At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels, they discover a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow. However, after an intriguing encounter with the showman, he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDumbo (2019)
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo Moon Junction (1988)
A young Southern débutante temporarily abandons her posh lifestyle and upcoming, semi-arranged marriage to have a lustful and erotic fling with a rugged drifter who works at a local carnival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFreaks (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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAt the Circus (1939)
Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10,000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter's accomplices steal the money so he can take over the circus. Antonio Pirelli and Punchy, who work at the circus, together with lawyer Loophole try to find the thief and get the money back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBell, Book and Candle (1958)
Gillian Holroyd, a modern-day witch, becomes smitten with her handsome upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson. Using her magical powers, she casts a love spell on him, only to face unexpected complications when genuine feelings emerge, threatening her supernatural abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGags the Clown (2019)
It's been eight days since the clown first showed up in Green Bay, WI. Now, over the course of one night, four different groups of people cross paths with the clown everyone calls "Gags" and his true intentions are finally revealed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Luck Chuck (2007)
Cursed since childhood, dentist Charlie Logan cannot find the right woman. Even worse, he learns that each of his ex-girlfriends finds true love with the man she meets after her relationship with him ends. Hearing of Charlie's reputation as a good-luck charm, women from all over line up for a quick tryst. But when Charlie meets the woman of his dreams, he must find a way to break the curse or risk losing her to the next man she meets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1994)
Raised by wild animals since childhood, Mowgli is drawn away from the jungle by the beautiful Kitty. But Mowgli must eventually face corrupt Capt. Boone, who wants both Kitty's hand and the treasures of Monkey City – a place only Mowgli can find.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPenelope (2006)
Forlorn heiress Penelope Wilhern is cursed, and the only way out is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she find her soulmate when she's sequestered inside her family's estate with only her parents to keep her company? This untraditional fairy tale is about a girl who bucks convention to create her own happy ending.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wedding Singer (1998)
Robbie, a local rock star turned wedding singer, is dumped on the day of his wedding. Meanwhile, waitress Julia finally sets a wedding date with her fiancée Glenn. When Julia and Robbie meet and hit it off, they find that things are more complicated than anybody thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPippi Longstocking (1997)
Pippi Longstocking is an extraordinary little girl who lives alone in her house, while her father sails the seven seas. Pippi's irrepressibly fun nature makes her easy to befriend, as neighbors Tommy and Annika find, but can also earn ire, especially from social worker Mrs. Prysselius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Call of the Circus?
The closest matches to Call of the Circus are He Who Gets Slapped (1924), Water for Elephants (2011) and The Circus (1928). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Call of the Circus?
Start with He Who Gets Slapped (1924), the closest match to Call of the Circus.
What is the highest-rated movie like Call of the Circus?
The Circus (1928), rated 7.9/10 by 929 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Call of the Circus?
Saving Flora (2019) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Call of the Circus?
Yes: He Who Gets Slapped (1924), Water for Elephants (2011) and The Circus (1928).
How are movies similar to Call of the Circus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Call of the Circus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.