The famous Hollywood sign in the hills above Hollywood, California, on Jan. 10, 2025.
Washington D.C. – In a stunning and controversial announcement, former President Donald Trump declared he plans to impose a 100% tariff on all films made outside the United States — a move that has left the global film industry in shock and scrambling for clarity.
Speaking on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed the American film industry is “dying a very fast death” and blamed it on a “concerted effort” by foreign governments to lure away Hollywood productions with tax breaks and subsidies. Labeling the situation a “national security threat,” he wrote: “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
The policy, as described, is both sweeping and vague. Trump did not specify whether the tariff would apply to foreign-made films distributed in the U.S. or to American movies filmed abroad. Nor did he clarify whether streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon would be affected, or how the tariff would be enforced.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick offered little detail, simply stating: “We’re on it.”
Experts and industry insiders reacted with confusion and alarm. Timothy Richards, founder of UK-based Vue Cinemas, asked how such a tariff would even be defined. “Is it based on where the script was written? Where the movie was shot? The nationality of the director?” he said. “The devil will be in the details.”
The implications could be vast. Many recent blockbusters — including Gladiator II, Wicked, and Deadpool & Wolverine — were shot outside the U.S. by American studios seeking lower costs and international tax incentives. Even if the core production is American, postproduction often occurs abroad.
The UK’s Bectu media union warned the proposal could “deal a knock-out blow” to international film workers. Australia and New Zealand also issued statements defending their local industries, while the British Film Institute called for continued collaboration between nations.
Meanwhile, film critics and economists questioned the effectiveness of Trump’s plan. “It’s unclear whether this would actually help U.S. jobs,” said NPR’s Eric Deggans, “or whether it would spark a retaliatory trade war that hurts American films overseas.”
The U.S. film industry, despite recent slowdowns, remains a global leader. But it has suffered losses: according to industry group IATSE, roughly 18,000 full-time jobs have vanished in the past three years, many in California. Rising costs, the decline of DVD sales, and the plateau of streaming profits have all contributed to a tighter bottom line for studios.
Even Trump’s past allies in Hollywood — including actors Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, whom he recently named “ambassadors” for American film — have remained silent on the tariff proposal.
As trade officials scramble to understand the policy’s scope, critics are calling the plan impractical, retaliatory, and potentially self-destructive.
“Trump’s movie tariff idea isn’t just unhinged,” one Hollywood executive said, “it’s impossible.”
