US President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on films "produced outside the United States." The declaration was made in a social media post on Sunday, which claimed that making movies anywhere other than the US poses a "national security threat."
"The American movie industry is dying a very rapid death," Trump stated. "Other countries are providing various incentives to lure our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood and many other regions across the U.S. are suffering greatly. This is a coordinated effort by foreign nations and, as such, a threat to national security. Beyond everything else, it's about messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am directing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin establishing a 100% tariff on all films imported into our country that are produced abroad. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"
At this point, it remains entirely unclear how such a tariff would function in practice or which specific productions would be impacted. Many countries worldwide offer a range of tax incentives that make it financially appealing for international productions to film in locations such as the UK, Australia, and various European nations.
However, it is also true that movies often shoot overseas to transport their characters and audiences to imaginative and exotic settings. How this directive would affect the future of globe-trotting action series like James Bond, John Wick, Extraction, or Mission: Impossible—or the production of a film like the upcoming F1, shot on race tracks located outside the US—is entirely uncertain.
It is also unclear how the new tariff would impact films currently in production or already completed, why television productions are not included in the plan, or what the repercussions would be for American movies globally if other countries retaliate for penalizing international productions seeking to reach US audiences.
