Just when Hollywood thought it had enough on its plate — from industry strikes to wildfire disruptions — a new challenge is emerging, and this time it’s coming straight from Washington.
Former President Donald Trump is now setting his sights on foreign-made films, threatening a 100% tariff on any movie produced outside the United States.
Yes, that includes big international hits and even collaborative projects partly filmed on U.S. soil.
A Tariff Targeting the Silver Screen
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that America’s movie industry is in rapid decline, blaming other countries for luring away film production through attractive incentives.
He’s now calling this an orchestrated effort that goes beyond economics — labeling it a “national security threat” filled with propaganda.
His directive? Authorize the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to slap massive import taxes on all non-American film productions.
While it’s unclear exactly how such a sweeping policy could be enforced (since many films are shot across multiple countries), the move has already raised eyebrows across the entertainment world.
A Global Industry, Not Just a National One
Modern movies aren’t confined by borders.
Take Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, for example.
It was filmed in several countries, including the UK, South Africa, and Malta.
That’s the nature of today’s industry — global stories, global crews, global settings.
For years, tax breaks in places like Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe have attracted filmmakers who once flocked to California.
And yet, despite all this international activity, American-made movies still dominate the box office at home.
Is This Really About Business or Politics?
Trump has long worn the badge of “tariff man” with pride.
From steel and aluminum to now foreign films, he’s repeatedly used tariffs as a tool to reshape global trade.
In fact, he’s already pushed through a 145% tariff on Chinese imports and a 10% baseline tariff on goods from most other countries — threatening to go even higher.
This latest push feels less like traditional trade policy and more like a power move aimed at controlling the narrative — and possibly reshaping Hollywood in a more nationalistic image.
The Bigger Picture Behind the Screen
The American film industry isn’t just suffering because of foreign competition.
The past few years have hit hard: pandemic shutdowns, labor strikes, and natural disasters have all contributed to declining production.
According to industry tracker ProdPro, overall U.S. film production dropped 26% in 2023 compared to 2021.
Even more telling, when production execs were asked where they prefer to film, not a single U.S. location cracked the top five. Toronto, London, Vancouver, Central Europe, and Australia took the lead.
California’s Struggle to Stay Relevant
Los Angeles, the longtime heart of Hollywood, is feeling the pinch more than most.
FilmLA data shows that production in L.A. was down 5.6% last year, marking one of its lowest points since 2020’s lockdowns.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has responded by proposing a massive boost to the state’s film tax credit — increasing it from $330 million to $750 million annually — in a bid to bring the cameras back home.
Other U.S. cities are following suit, with places like Atlanta, New York, and Chicago offering aggressive incentive programs of their own.
A Battle of Influence — Not Just Economics
Trump’s comments paint a picture of foreign nations “stealing” America’s storytelling power.
In his view, if studios choose to film abroad, they should face financial penalties for bringing those movies back into U.S. theaters.
He echoed this idea in a recent White House chat with reporters, saying, “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff on movies that come in.”
This sentiment isn’t new — he’s even appointed actors like Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone in the past as “Hollywood ambassadors” tasked with reviving domestic production.
What’s Next for Filmmakers and Studios?
At this point, the film industry is waiting to see if Trump’s proposal gains any actual traction.
No one from the Motion Picture Association has responded publicly, and experts remain skeptical about how this kind of tariff would work in practice — especially for co-productions or films partially made in the U.S.
What’s certain, though, is that this could create massive ripple effects in the global film economy.
Studios, producers, and creatives might be forced to rethink their entire production models depending on how this plays out.