The sports entertainment rumor mill has been kept busy all 2021, so far, with speculation about what World Wrestling Entertainment has planned for its SummerSlam 2021 event. 2020’s global pandemic ceased all touring and crowd shows for WWE, and beginning with WrestleMania 36, its pay-per-view events were filmed crowdlessly in insular locations. While 2020’s WrestleMania 36 was filmed at the WWE Performance Center, pay-per-view events that followed were broadcast live from the ThunderDome at the Amway Center. The technologically sophisticated complex was able to provide stunning visual effects, and allow fans to view the action as part of a digital audience, but the energy and connection of a live crowd was sorely missed.
With the WWE returning to live audiences, SummerSlam 2021 is set to be a grand-scale spectacle to draw the crowds that WWE missed for 17 months. The venue reflects this: set to be held on August 21 at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, this marks the first time SummerSlam will be held at an NFL venue.
While fans have been accustomed to streaming pay-per-view events online for a while now, the WWE is planning another innovative way to watch SummerSlam, underscoring the importance the event has taken on in the nascent post-Pandemic Era. Partnering with Iconic Events Releasing, WWE is releasing SummerSlam to be viewed live in movie theaters in select Iconic locations. It is the first time SummerSlam has been released theatrically. The unprecedented step to theatrically release the event is an innovative one, and part of WWE’s strategy for an expanded, grand scale SummerSlam.
Coming soon to a theater near you – @SummerSlam!@WWE and @ICONICEventsNow have teamed up to bring The Biggest Event of the Summer to theaters on August 21. #SummerSlam https://t.co/o9x5DasijV
— WWE (@WWE) July 22, 2021
The press release announcing the partnership touts that Iconic’s national network of theaters features high-quality guest experiences and a family-friendly atmosphere. Iconic’s SummerSlam foray builds on their experience theatrically releasing special event programming like holiday specials, concerts, stand-up comedy, and Broadway productions.
Stated Iconic CEO Steve Bunnell, in the press release announcing the partnership, “Iconic Events Releasing is proud to be in partnership with WWE to bring their incredible brand to movie theaters coast to coast. SummerSlam is a marquee event that demands to be seen on the big screen, with big sound, in an auditorium full of excited fans.”
A list of participating locations state to state, and information about how to purchase tickets to the screenings, fans can visit iconicreleasing.com/wwe-summerslam-2021.
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