New Delhi: In a move set to rattle global cinema, US President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside America, vowing to reclaim the spotlight for Hollywood.
The announcement came on Monday via Trump’s favored platform, Truth Social, where he likened the plight of the American film sector to a child robbed of its favourite sweet. “Some countries are snatching our movie business,” he stated, underscoring his administration’s aggressive push to bolster domestic industries amid trade tensions.
This tariff twist could spell disaster for Tinseltown, where overseas revenues fuel a lion’s share of earnings. Major studios like Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast, Paramount, Skydance, and streaming giant Netflix are in a tizzy, with no official word yet from the heavyweights.
Modern blockbusters aren’t confined to US soil — shooting, funding, post-production, and VFX wizardry span the globe.
Experts are scratching their heads over how this levy will play out: which films qualify as “foreign-made,” and does it even hold legal water? Legal experts and trade analysts argue that films are intellectual property under global service trade pacts. The United States, a net exporter in this sector, risks breaching international norms. Co-productions, now commonplace multinational collaborations, further complicate matters: how are films produced across borders to be tariffed?
Markets reacted immediately, with Netflix shares falling 1.5 percent in early trading. This follows a similar, unsubstantiated suggestion by Trump in May.
As the White House remains silent, filmmakers and audiences worldwide anticipate significant disruptions to the industry.