President Donald Trump has said he will impose “100% tariffs” on foreign films in what he claims is a bid to aid the Hollywood film industry.
Trump took to social media to brand foreign film production a “National Security threat.”
Posting on his own site, Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. 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. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!
“Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
Last month, China reportedly began weighing up a ban on all US films in retaliation for Trump raising tariffs on Chinese imports.
Trump had introduced “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, including a massive 104 per cent duty on Chinese goods.
Bloomberg News reported that in China, two widely followed bloggers with links to the local authorities shared identical lists of measures that could be introduced by Chinese authorities in response. These included “reducing or banning the import of US films.”
The bloggers, Liu Hong, a senior editor at the Xinhua News Agency, and Ren Yi, grandson of former Guangdong Province Communist Party chief Ren Zhongyi, both attributed the plans to sources familiar with the Chinese state’s planning.
In 2024, US films grossed around $585 million in China. This represents around 3.5 per cent of China’s total $17.71 billion box office. A significant proportion of that haul was attributable to the success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which made $132 million in China.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The total US and Canada domestic box office for the same period was around $8.56 billion.
The film sector represents a sizeable US trade surplus with China, as Chinese films do not tend to be as popular overseas. However, in March some American-based Chinese campaigned for animated hit Ne Zha 2 to get an IMAX release in the US.
The animated blockbuster has already landed a release date for 37 territories across Europe, including the UK and Ireland.
Ne Zha 2, made on an $80 million budget, has already become the highest-grossing animated film in history after making $2.06 billion in China, overtaking last year’s US-made Inside Out 2, which made $1.7 billion worldwide.
