Trump just dropped the latest bomb in his never-ending tariff circus — and this time, it’s aimed not at Chinese steel or Mexican avocados, but foreign films. No joke. Every movie produced outside the U.S. is now facing a 100% import tariff.
This isn’t about trade imbalances. It’s not even really about jobs. According to Trump, it’s about “national security,” “foreign propaganda,” and saving Hollywood from itself. Think Cold War, but replace nukes with movie tax credits.
The practical consequence? Any movie shot in, say, Vancouver or Budapest — which covers a huge chunk of Netflix’s and Disney’s content slate — just doubled in cost. Big-budget tentpoles like Avengers: Doomsday, currently filming in London, now face instant budgetary chaos. And while some applaud the nationalist tone (“We want movies made in America, AGAIN!”), others are pointing out the obvious: tariffs are taxes on consumers, not on foreign governments.
This is not protectionism; this is performative economics. And it’s giving déjà vu to analysts who remember the trade chaos of 2018–2020. The market might cheer for a second, but when studios halt releases, streaming libraries dry up, and budgets balloon, the aftershock will be felt across entertainment, tech, and even logistics (good luck distributing global content with fractured licensing).
What This Really Means?
Tariffs = Consumer Tax: Studios won’t eat the cost. Streamers will pass it on. Get ready for that Disney+ price bump.
Hollywood North Goes Dark: Canada — especially Vancouver — just lost its biggest client. Billions in production at risk.
Classic Distraction Play? The louder the move, the quieter the real agenda. Something else is brewing.
National Security Theater: Framing cinema as a threat feels like a stretch — unless Paddington 3 is now subversive content.
If All You Have is a Tariff… Every problem becomes an import crisis. Trump’s trade hammer swings again.
While this may resonate with certain voters, it’s another sign that Trump’s policy compass is increasingly driven by optics over outcomes. Instead of incentivizing studios to film domestically, he’s taxing their existing global operations into paralysis.
Coming soon: a 100% tariff on oxygen imported from foreign trees.