United States President Donald Trump has said the country will impose major tariffs on foreign-made films, as the U.S.’ tariff plans continue to escalate.
Trump said he would direct the Department of Commerce to immediately instate a 100% tariff on these films, though he did not indicate how this would be implemented.
“Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an X post: “We’re on it.”
China lowered the number of American-made films allowed to screen in the country in April, in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Film and television production spending in the U.S. declined by 22% from 2022 to 2024, a report by ProdPro found. States like California and New York are now seeking to significantly increase their film and television tax credit programs to attract more productions.
Production spending in Canada and the United Kingdom increased by 2.8% and 0.95% between 2022 and 2024. Australia and New Zealand’s production spending grew by 14% during the period.
The number of television series produced has also fallen in recent years due to the 2023 strikes by the Writers Guild of America and actors’ union SAG-AFTRA. While the number of feature films produced last year matched 2022 levels, television has yet to fully recover, the report found.
“At this stage, it is unclear what this announcement means in practice or how it will be applied and implemented," said Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner.
““For the Australian industry, it reinforces the need for the Government to focus immediately and swiftly on building a resilient local industry that can withstand global shocks like this.”
The Trump administration moved to impose blanket tariffs of at least 10% on all countries last month, with some nations like China facing a much higher rate, though a 90-day pause on these measures is currently in effect. Trump has also instated several additional tariffs, with a 25% import tax on car components entering into effect last week.
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