Trump threatens tariffs on movies, but experts say it may not be that simple – Country
The film and streaming industry is the latest focus area for U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariff strategy, but experts say there are many challenges in imposing tariffs on production companies.
What does Trump say about the film industry?
Before the election is over, Trump's campaign aims to restore domestic manufacturing and production in the United States.
On Sunday night, Trump said on social media: “The film industry in the United States is dying from very fast deaths. Other countries are offering various incentives to attract our film producers and studios to the United States. Many other areas in Hollywood and many other areas within the United States have been damaged. It is a unanimous effort by other countries and, therefore, a national security threat.”
“Other countries have been stealing American momentum,” Trump said on the White House lawn on Monday.
It is not clear which film industry tariffs look like or when they will be implemented.
How realistic are Trump’s movie ambitions?
So far, Trump's tariff policy lists specific responsibilities in products manufactured abroad and imported into the United States, with the most important responsibilities including 145% of imports from China.
But when it comes to film and streaming video content, tariffs can be more complicated because there are more services that are less likely to be deconstructed by many layers.
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“It (the film industry) is not a department, it is a different aspect of a department,” said Charlie Keil, a film studies professor at the University of Toronto, adding: “It is also not clear whether it makes sense to use it as a broad debris or to the level of input based on African-American sources.” ”
In addition, in tariff policies, releasing movies in theaters complicated things for companies like Cineplex.
“If you buy a tangible product similar to a clothing, if it's more expensive (made), you want to pay more for it,” Keil said.
“With movies, we're not used to differentiated pricing. Theater doesn't charge you for the movies. So the question is, how will this tariff be passed on to consumers?”
A White House statement issued Monday by spokesman Kush Desai on Monday articulated the administration’s intentions: “While no final decision on foreign film tariffs, the administration is exploring all options to achieve President Trump’s directives to protect national and economic security in our country while making Hollywood stand out again.”
Unlike the automotive industry, film production can reach all over the world, but it still benefits the United States in the end.
“The real business of the film business is about ownership, intellectual property control and fairness, and it's basically ROI. As long as Americans control, they can control what really matters. It's not where it is. It controls all these other elements,” Elevation Pictures Coes Cone Cole Pictures coes-Pictures coes-Pictorn ealedsients noah noah segal said.
“He (Trump) fears about Chinese electric cars because China owns these cars. Well, in this case Disney has Mickey Mouse. No matter where they do it, they have it.”
What does this mean for the Canadian film industry?
If Trump succeeds in returning all the physical elements of filmmaking to the United States, Canada’s booming industry could be affected.
“If we abandon it this way, it could be bad news. It's all very temporary, but yes, it can be devastating,” Kyle said. “When we call it the Canadian film industry, we really meant to complement the service industry in the U.S. film industry.”
Ontario alone is set up shops in the province, including companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Warner Bros. Pictures, with foreign film productions worth over $3 billion each year.
According to Statistics Canada, the domestic industry received $2.8 billion in revenue in 2023, a third higher than previous reports.
“We've seen such behavior from the president before,” said Minister Stan Cho of Ontario Tourism, Culture and Games. “He will say one thing one day and he will change his mind the next day, so we hope he will realize the magnitude of the industry as a driving force and creator of work. We have to wait and see if he follows.”
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
