Through his Truth Social announcement President Trump declared his intention to establish 100% tariffs on foreign-made films which he believes will save the “dying” U.S. movie industry from overseas incentives. The Commerce Department under Howard Lutnick’s leadership must execute the plan yet the specific details remain unclear. The U.S. studios’ production of Deadpool & Wolverine and Wicked along with streaming content might face potential impact because they were filmed abroad.
The Bectu union in the UK predicted that freelancers would face a “knock-out blow” because of the new policy while Eric Deggans from NPR explained how retaliatory tariffs could reduce U.S. film profits worldwide. Vue cinema’s Timothy Richards expressed doubts about how to identify “U.S. films” because the UK maintains skilled crews and provides tax benefits. The production industry spent $14.54 billion in the United States during 2024 according to ProdPro which represented a 26% decrease from 2022 levels.
The enforcement of Trump’s tariffs including 145% on China faces challenges because of filmmaking’s complex global nature which threatens both economic and cultural consequences for Hollywood and its international partners.
