*Courtesy of Rebecca Noble / Getty Images.*

In a staggering policy announcement that could send ripples through the global entertainment sector, President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that he has directed his administration to impose a 100% tariff on films produced outside the United States.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has instructed the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to take immediate steps toward implementing the tariff.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” he claimed. “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!”

He didn’t stop there: “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!”

In recent years, Hollywood productions have increasingly moved abroad to take advantage of attractive tax breaks in nations like the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and Spain.

Trump elaborated on his plan during a Sunday interview with C-SPAN, where he blamed not only foreign governments but also California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“What they’ve done is other nations have been stealing the movies, the moviemaking capabilities from the united States,” Trump said. “I’ve done some very strong research over the past week, and we’re making very few movies now. Hollywood is being destroyed. Now, you have a…grossly incompetent governor that allowed that to happen, so I’m not just blaming other nations, but other nations have stolen our movie industry. If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, then we should have a tariff on movies that come in. And not only that, governments are actually giving big money. They’re supporting them financially. That’s sort of a threat to our country in a sense.”

Governor Newsom’s office responded with a brief statement: “Looks like it’s distraction day again in Washington, D.C.”

Industry insiders warn that such a move could severely disrupt both film and television production. The Motion Picture Association has not yet issued a response to the proposed tariff.

Questions remain over how this policy would be implemented. Would current foreign-made projects be exempt through a grace period, or retroactively taxed? Details are still unclear.

Several high-profile and costly films scheduled for release in the coming months were shot overseas. The upcoming ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ (May 23), was shot around the world including the United Kingdom. ‘Ballerina’ (June 6), a ‘John Wick’ spinoff, was shot in the Czech Republic. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ (Dec. 19), produced by Disney and 20th Century Studios, was filmed in New Zealand — a major film production and tourist destination since Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.

Marvel Studios, part of Disney, could also be affected. It recently began shooting ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ (May 1, 2026) in London and plans to film ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ (July 31, 2026) — a co-production with Sony — in the U.K. as well. Both titles follow earlier ‘Avengers’ installments that were filmed in Atlanta, which lost its edge due to more generous U.K. tax benefits.

Disney’s Lucasfilm is likewise planning to film ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ starring Ryan Gosling (May 28, 2027) in the United Kingdom.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Studios is also expanding in London, with ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ (June 26, 2026) currently in production.

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