Washington D.C., September 29, 2025 – President Donald Trump escalated his protectionist rhetoric on Monday by renewing a controversial pledge to slap a 100% tariff on all movies made outside the United States, claiming the nation’s film industry has been “stolen” by foreign competitors luring productions with tax breaks. The announcement, shared via his Truth Social platform, has sent shockwaves through Hollywood, threatening to disrupt global co-productions and inflate costs for blockbusters reliant on international shoots.
“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing candy from a baby,” Trump wrote in the post, directing the Department of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to initiate implementation immediately. He blasted California Governor Gavin Newsom for “weak leadership” that has allowed overseas incentives to drain jobs from Hollywood, vowing the measure would “solve this long time, never ending problem.”
This isn’t Trump’s first salvo; he floated the idea in May 2025, framing foreign tax credits as a “national security threat” that imports “messaging and propaganda” alongside filmmakers. At the time, industry coalitions like film unions urged domestic incentives instead, warning of a “virtually complete halt of production.” Now, with no timeline or enforcement details provided, executives are scrambling—could tariffs hit box office revenue, streaming royalties, or budgets? Legal hurdles loom, as tariffs typically target physical goods under Section 301 of the Trade Act, not digital content.
The fallout could be seismic for an industry where 40% of U.S. films shoot abroad, drawn by rebates in Canada, the UK, and Australia. Hits like Dune (filmed in Hungary and Jordan) or Mission: Impossible (UK locations) might face retroactive penalties, crippling studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount. A July American Action Forum analysis warned that box-office-based tariffs would render many releases unprofitable.
Hollywood’s silence is deafening so far, but Cinema United and Netflix may rally. Trump, fresh from appointing actors like Jon Voight as “special ambassadors,” positions this as a jobs savior. As details trickle in, the reel world braces for a blockbuster plot twist
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