Trump imposes 100% tariff on foreign films

In a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the global entertainment industry, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to impose a 100 per cent tariff on all foreign-made movies, an unprecedented step that could upend Hollywood’s business model and reshape international film trade.

The announcement, delivered via Trump’s Truth Social platform, framed the decision as part of his wider protectionist agenda.

“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.

The entertainment sector was quick to feel the impact. Netflix shares slipped 1.5% in early trading, while other media conglomerates including Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Skydance, and Comcast declined to comment publicly.

“We’re flummoxed. Modern films are international by nature. Production, financing, and post-production often span multiple countries. How would a tariff even be applied?”

“Films are typically classified as intellectual property and traded under services, not goods, where the U.S. actually enjoys a surplus,” said Professor Laura Chang, an international trade lawyer at Georgetown University. “A blanket tariff risks violating World Trade Organization rules and inviting retaliation.”

Analysts add that the rise of international co-productions — where U.S. studios partner with foreign companies — will make it nearly impossible to determine which films qualify as “foreign.”

Industry observers fear the tariff could spark retaliatory measures from other nations, potentially locking Hollywood out of lucrative overseas markets. International box office earnings account for 60 per cent to 70 per cent of revenue for major U.S. blockbusters.

“This is one of the most consequential policy shifts in modern film history,” said Michael Hartman, a senior media analyst at JP Morgan. “If enforced, it would undermine Hollywood’s global footprint and accelerate the rise of competing film industries in Asia, Europe, and Africa.”

The move comes on the heels of Trump’s July global trade plan, which imposed tariffs of up to 30 per cent on imports from South Africa and Algeria, and 15 per cent on goods from Nigeria and Ghana. Analysts say the film tariff aligns with the administration’s harder stance on foreign trade.

“Africa, with 60 per cent of the world’s arable land and vast mineral reserves, is strategically vital to industries like AI,” said Akin Dawodu, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at Citigroup, in a recent briefing. “By alienating these regions with tariffs, the U.S. risks driving them closer to alternative partners such as China.”