The global film industry is not worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s new warning about putting high tariffs on foreign-made movies.
Trump recently repeated his plan to add a 100% tariff on films made outside the United States. He says this will help protect American jobs and stop companies from filming abroad. However, the global movie industry seems calm this time, saying it does not expect the threat to become real soon.
A report from the research group ProdPro showed that film companies spent about 16.6 billion U.S. dollars in the United States over the past year. But they also spent around 24.3 billion dollars on productions in other countries. This shows that movie making has become truly global and hard to limit.
The United Kingdom is one of the top places for filming, with around 8.7 billion dollars in production spending last year. Canada follows with about 6.4 billion dollars. Other countries such as Australia, Ireland, Hungary, and Spain have also become popular filming locations because of tax breaks and lower production costs.
Industry lawyer Lee Stone said people are not reacting as strongly as before. “Other than the first surprise of hearing it again, most people are not taking it seriously this time,” he said. Earlier in the year, when Trump first mentioned the idea, some producers delayed or stopped projects until they knew more.
Industry analysts say the calm response now is because it would take a long time to pass any new trade law, and most producers believe the tariff will not happen soon. Many film companies continue to use foreign studios because it is cheaper and the quality of work is high.
Another lawyer, Stephen Weizenecker, said the movie industry likes stability. “When people hesitate, projects stop,” he explained.
Instead of tariffs, Hollywood studios and unions are supporting a new U.S. bill called the CREATE Act. The law would give more tax benefits to productions made inside the country.
For now, the global film industry says it will keep working as usual, showing that international movie production remains strong despite political talk.
