Global Film Industry Unmoved by Trump’s Renewed Movie Tariff Threat

The global film industry is showing little concern over U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threat to impose a 100% tariff on movies made outside the United States.

The tariff plan — first floated in May and repeated again this week — was meant to pressure Hollywood studios to bring more production back to U.S. soil. But industry executives say they are not changing course.

Studios continue to spend heavily on overseas shoots. In the past year, U.S. companies invested $24.3 billion in film and TV production abroad, compared with $16.6 billion spent inside the U.S.

The United Kingdom and Canada remain the top two destinations, drawing $8.7 billion and $6.4 billion respectively. Other active hubs include Spain, Hungary, and Australia.

Law firms advising studios say clients are no longer “pausing” projects the way they did when the tariff was first mentioned. Trade-data analysts also report no shift in production back to the U.S. following Trump’s renewed comments.

Supporters of the tariff, including Trump’s senior advisers, argue that foreign production drains American jobs. But studio representatives and unions say tax reform, not tariffs, is the real solution to boosting U.S. shoots.

A U.S. legislative proposal — the CREATE Act — aims to introduce richer domestic film incentives to compete with foreign tax breaks.

For now, Trump’s tariff threat remains just that: a threat. It has not been drafted into policy or submitted for approval. But industry observers warn that if it ever becomes real law, it could raise costs, slow project timelines, and trigger retaliation from key partner nations.

Until then, global productions are continuing as planned — almost as if the warning was never made.