WWE Was Approved For $4.2 Million In Film Tax Credits For WrestleMania 41

WWE received over $4 million in film tax credits for WrestleMania 41. The Nevada Current reports that an application was approved in April by the Governor’s Office for Economic Development and the Nevada Film Office for $4.2 million in film tax credits to the company for WrestleMania. WWE previously received a $5 million site fee that was approved in May of last year as a sponsorship from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The tax credits equate to about 12% of the total production budget of $33.7 million that was estimated by WWE for the two nights of WrestleMania 41 and three nights of events in the T-Mobile Arena. The budget, according to the application, broke down as follows:

* $2.4 million for Nevada stagehands,
* $2.7 million for non-resident “below-the-line” labor,
* $17 million for non-resident “above the line” talent,
* $5.3 million in Nevada expenditures,
* $8.6 million in non-Nevada expenditures, and
* $260,000 for Nevada security workers.

WWE estimated that the five events would result in 450 Nevadans being hired for 22,100 hours and that 300 “above the line” people — aka executives, directors, and the talent at the top of the card like John Cena and Cody Rhodes — earned $17 million. 450 “below the line” non-Nevadans worked 10,800 hours for $2.7 million.

The non-labor in-state spending was listed as follows:

* $3 million on miscellaneous expenses,
* $855,000 in freelancer hotel expenses,
* $369,000 in hotels for talent,
* $323,921 in equipment rental,
* $106,000 for catering, and
* $40,137 for props, stunts & gags.

A request by WWE that talent expenses and building rents budget items be considered confidential and redacted from the application was granted, which is common.