The president said the move was necessary to protect the once dominated American film industry, which was once the dominant globally.
President Donald Trump announced on May 4 that he was allowing his administration to impose 100% tariffs on films produced outside the United States.
Trump said the move was necessary to protect the once dominant US film industry, which was once dominated by globally, as he pointed out that some countries were providing incentives to attract international filmmakers and studios.
He warned that the local industry is “deathing very fast” as Hollywood and many other local entertainment businesses are in the midst of devastation.
“This is a coordinated effort by other countries and therefore a national security threat. It is messaging and propaganda, along with everything else,” Trump said. “We want a film made in America again!”
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Trump has imposed tariffs and pressured the CCP to deal with the trade deficit with the US. The White House said on April 15 that China faces mutual tariffs of up to 245% due to retaliatory actions.
“At some point, I’m going to lower them. Otherwise you can’t do business with them and they’re very eager to do business,” he said. “Look, their economy is doing really badly. Their economy is falling apart.”
Some analysts believe that China’s restrictions on US-made films are limited to the industry. Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan, said the number of domestic films released in China is declining.
“Currently, only about 25% of the widespread domestic release films are released in China, and that percentage has steadily declined over time as competition is increasing with China’s local film production industry,” Shafer said.
Regarding domestic films released in China, Schafer said, “usually less than 10% of the film’s total global box office revenue comes from China.”
Trump said the three envoys will serve as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, advised him on strategies to stimulate the entertainment industry and restore its previous glory.
This reported subversion is in contrast to the early days of Hollywood under the Hayes Code, setting strict content guidelines until the erosion of the 1950s, and was replaced by a modern rating system that had reached a more tolerant era in 1968.
Frank Hun, Tom Ojimek and Reuters contributed to the report.
