On a weekend when moviegoers are celebrating the start of summer blockbusters and the success of films like “Sinners” and “Thunderbolts*”, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social on Sunday to announce he is “authorizing” that the Department of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to impose a 100% tariff on “any and all movies produced in “foreign lands”. You can read the full post below.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” – Donald Trump via Truth Social

President Trump is again looking towards tariffs to make a change. In this case, he is looking to boost the production of films in the U.S. This has been a problem for the domestic film industry as of late. We have seen major studios shift their movie productions to other countries including Canada, U.K., New Zealand, Australia, and others. These have offered generous benefits that have lured studios away from making many films here in the U.S. One of the biggest and most anticipated blockbusters of next year, “Avengers: Doomsday” is currently filming in London.

For the moment, details about how tariffs would be imposed are not available. This includes questions like whether U.S.-based companies would be penalized for shooting overseas. Like other industries that have been affected by Trump’s tariff war, it’s important to note that a film has many different components that are often produced in other countries, before being brought back to the U.S.

The timing of this announcement comes just as Hollywood seems to be rebounding from 2024. According to Variety, overall domestic numbers are up 15.8% from last year. With hits like “Thunderbolts*”, “Sinners”, and “A Minecraft Movie”. With many blockbusters yet to come, including “Superman”, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, “Jurassic World: Rebirth”, and more.