Donald Trump’s Latest Tariffs Threaten To Destroy the Modern Film Industry (Again)

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Donald Trump is again suggesting he might impose higher taxes on movies made outside the U.S., potentially affecting the release of popular upcoming films such as Avengers: Doomsday, Dune 3, and The Odyssey. He first proposed this tax on foreign film productions in May 2025, a move that, like many of his policies, caused worry and uncertainty. Although the idea hadn’t been mentioned since the summer, Trump now seems to be revisiting it, and it’s unclear what his specific plan is.

Donald Trump announced a new tax on movies through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. According to Variety, Trump stated he’s placing a “100% tariff on any and all movies made outside the United States.” The details of how this would work, or how the president intends to make it happen, weren’t explained. Trump also used the post to criticize California Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent and vocal opponent.

Our film industry has been unfairly taken advantage of by other countries, it’s as simple as taking something from someone defenseless. California, especially, has suffered due to its ineffective leadership. To fix this ongoing issue, I’m implementing a 100% tax (Tariff) on all movies produced outside of the United States. Thank you for considering this important matter. More details will follow.

What Does This “100%” Tariff Mean?


Universal Pictures

Like so many statements from Trump, this one is short on specifics, which leaves me, as a cinema lover, really uncertain about what he means. Is he going after international films – things like the huge hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, or even an Oscar winner like Parasite? Or is this about American movies that choose to film overseas? Honestly, neither option seems great, and it feels a little like a xenophobic attempt to shut out films made by non-Americans, especially those not in English-speaking countries. And imposing tariffs on American productions filmed abroad could really hurt a lot of big projects – think about films like Clayface, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Dune 3, Star Wars: Starfighter, and honestly, the list goes on and on.

It seems this is an effort to revive major film and television production in the United States, particularly in California. The Los Angeles film and TV industry has faced significant challenges recently. A combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes resulted in widespread job losses for many, including grips, electricians, and production assistants. These hardships were compounded by the devastation of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. NBC Los Angeles reported a 22% decrease in on-location filming in Los Angeles during the first quarter of 2025. To address this, California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a new tax incentive designed to attract productions back to the state. Productions such as Fallout Season 2 and the recently postponed Mr. & Mrs. Smith have already benefited from this incentive.

Trump’s recent actions follow a pattern of tariffs that have made things more expensive for many Americans, even though paychecks haven’t kept up. It seems like Trump is targeting media outlets he disagrees with, as he’s previously criticized late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. He even created an unofficial role, calling Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight his “Ambassadors to Hollywood.” However, like the tariffs, it’s unclear what these supporters are actually supposed to do. This new film tariff is yet another potential problem that could have significant effects.

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2025-09-29 22:55