U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he plans to impose a 100% tariff on all foreign-made movies, an unprecedented step that could disrupt Hollywood’s international business model and extend his administration’s protectionist trade policies into cultural industries.The announcement, made in a post on Trump’s Truth Social platform, framed the move as an effort to protect American filmmaking from international competition. “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.It remains unclear what legal authority the president would use to levy tariffs on films, which are typically considered intellectual property and part of the global trade in services. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification on how the policy would be implemented. Major entertainment companies, including Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Paramount Skydance, and Netflix, also declined to comment. Shares of Netflix fell 1.5% in early trading following the announcement..The idea of tariffs on movies was first floated by Trump in May but without specifics, leaving studio executives uncertain whether it would target certain countries or all imports. Industry leaders have expressed confusion about how such a measure could be enforced given that modern film production often spans multiple countries, from financing and filming to post-production and visual effects.Legal and trade experts have also questioned the proposal, noting that the United States typically runs a surplus in trade of cultural and creative services. Co-productions with foreign studios are increasingly common, raising additional uncertainty about how such projects would be classified under a tariff regime.Ontario Premier Doug Ford dismissed Trump’s proposal, saying the Canadian province would continue investing in its own film and television industry regardless of U.S. policies.“Well, I disagree with anything that guy says. He drives me crazy,” Ford said.“We built the movie business up through roughly about $3 billion. Our goal is to build it up to $5 billion, so we’re going to continue growing, continue investing in the film industry. The film industry is very strong here.”.Ford added that Ontario would focus on creating a competitive environment to attract investment, highlighting the province’s talent and quality of life as its strongest assets.The proposed film tariff fits into Trump’s broader “America First” economic agenda, which has emphasized protectionist policies such as tariffs on steel, aluminum, and a range of imported goods. While those measures have primarily targeted manufacturing sectors, the extension of tariffs into cultural industries would mark new territory.Hollywood studios rely heavily on international markets, with box-office revenue from overseas often accounting for more than half of a blockbuster’s total earnings.For example, films like Avatar: The Way of Water and Avengers: Endgame made the majority of their revenue abroad. Trade restrictions on films could therefore have wide-reaching effects, not only for U.S. studios but also for global partners in Europe, Asia, and beyond.
