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WWE's WrestleMania 40 Ticket Sales Show Strength of the Brand Months Before 2-Day Event 

A WrestleMania sign hangs over the crowd during the WWE Monday Night RAW event, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
A WrestleMania sign hangs over the crowd during the WWE Monday Night RAW event, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
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WWE's WrestleMania 40 Ticket Sales Show Strength of the Brand Months Before 2-Day Event 

A WrestleMania sign hangs over the crowd during the WWE Monday Night RAW event, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
A WrestleMania sign hangs over the crowd during the WWE Monday Night RAW event, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Boston. (AP)

WWE is flexing its branding muscle, selling more than 90,000 tickets to next year's WrestleMania about eight months before the premium live event is held and before a single match has been announced.

Tickets for WrestleMania 40, which will take place in Philadelphia on April 6 and 7, 2024, went on sale on Friday. In one day, ticket sales for WrestleMania 40 topped the all-time total gross record of $21.6 million set by this year's WrestleMania 39.

The blockbuster ticket sales come on the heels of this month's SummerSlam, which had ticket sales of $8.5 million, the largest amount for any non-WrestleMania event ever.

WWE's WrestleMania is the Super Bowl for the sports entertainment company. The company successfully shifted it to a two-day event during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and has kept that model in place.

Much like NFL fans with the Super Bowl, wrestling fans will travel from all over to attend a WrestleMania event and make a full weekend of it. Many take part in meet and greets with wrestlers, buy exclusive merchandise and view historical wrestling artifacts on display before attending the event.

WrestleMania has built up the value of the brand over the years by having its matches be the payoff for storylines involving its top stars, mixing in celebrities, surprises, and providing over-the-top flair, whether it be through the gear wrestlers wear or their ring entrances.

Die-hard fans know what they can expect, which makes it easier for them to buy tickets months ahead of time when they don't yet know what a single match will be.

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. has also used its marketing skills to push WrestleMania ticket sales. Some of the company's top wrestlers have recently made appearances in Philadelphia to promote the event, including a cross promotion with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, with wrestling fans being able to follow it all via WWE's social media platforms.

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Berlin Film Festival Organizers Unveil 2025 Competition Line-up

File Photo: Executive Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian, Lupita Nyong'o, Jury President and jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhk stand onstage during the opening gala of the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 15, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
File Photo: Executive Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian, Lupita Nyong'o, Jury President and jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhk stand onstage during the opening gala of the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 15, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
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Berlin Film Festival Organizers Unveil 2025 Competition Line-up

File Photo: Executive Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian, Lupita Nyong'o, Jury President and jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhk stand onstage during the opening gala of the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 15, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
File Photo: Executive Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director of the Berlin International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian, Lupita Nyong'o, Jury President and jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhk stand onstage during the opening gala of the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 15, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

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Richard Linklater's new feature about a Broadway composer, a documentary about young people in war-torn Ukraine and a homage to 1960s' spy films were among the films unveiled on Tuesday as part of the 2025 Berlin Film Festival's competition line-up.

"This is a major A-list festival with a thriving market," said new festival director Tricia Tuttle, with guests from more than 150 countries coming to the 75th edition of the festival, Reuters reported.

The 19 films in contention for the festival's Golden Bear top prize feature several directors making their return to the German capital, including Romania's Radu Jude, with his new dark comedy "Kontinental '25," and South Korea's Hong Sang-soo with his languorous family comedy "What Does that Nature Say to You".

Linklater, the US director known for "Before Sunrise," makes a buzzy return to the festival after more than a decade with "Blue Moon," about composer Lorenz Hart - the other half of famous songwriting team Rodgers and Hart - with an all-star cast including Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott.

"Reflection in a Dead Diamond" is Belgium-based duo Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani's maximalist spy feature, while "Dreams" stars Jessica Chastain as an heiress who falls in love with a Mexican ballet dancer, and "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" about a child's mysterious illness features Rose Byrne along with late-show TV host Conan O'Brien and rapper ASAP Rocky.

"Timestamp" is Kateryna Gornostai's observational documentary about life in Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion marks one of the more overtly political entries this year.

POLITICS AS USUAL?

The Berlin Film Festival, which this year runs from Feb. 13 to 23, is considered more political than its peers - Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Toronto.

"We do not shy away from this. It's arguably in the DNA of the city itself and also in the festival itself," US-born Tuttle told reporters.

The festival ends on the day of Germany's national election, though Tuttle said it does not plan to mark the event in any way other than encouraging people to vote.

Outside the competition, Oscar-winning "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi "Mickey 17" with Robert Pattison will have its German premiere during the festival, as will James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic with Timothee Chalamet "A Complete Unknown".

Tuttle took charge amid financial uncertainty at the festival, which had to slim down its program last year, and Berlin slashed its 2025 culture budget by millions of euros.

However, ahead of Tuesday's news conference, Germany's culture ministry said it would contribute an extra 1.9 million euros ($1.97 million) to the festival for its 75th anniversary.

That boost "allows us to deliver the festival with a balanced budget this year and... to relive the festival in the way that we want to in this anniversary year," said Tuttle.

US director Todd Haynes heads the international jury that will award this year's top prize. "Run Lola Run" director Tom Tykwer's new film "The Light" will open the festival.