Overview

• President Donald Trump restated on Sept. 29 that he will impose a 100% duty on all films made outside the United States, calling the industry “robbed” and attacking California Governor Gavin Newsom.
• No rule, tariff schedule, legal instrument or start date has been released, and officials have not explained whether cinematic releases, streaming titles or multinational coproductions would be covered.
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was previously tasked to explore implementation, yet there is still no mechanism for applying customs-style duties to movies, which are not conventional border-cleared goods.
• Studios, unions and analysts warn of severe disruption and higher costs likely to be passed to consumers, with the U.K. union Bectu cautioning of a potential blow to workers and observers flagging risks of foreign retaliation.
• The film proposal aligns with 2025 tariff escalations, including a 100% levy on many imported pharmaceuticals effective Oct. 1 and new duties on furniture and heavy trucks, while key production hubs in Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand would be directly exposed.