Fayetteville, Georgia – The next big drama for Hollywood may not be on the big screen — but in the White House.
President Donald Trump is proposing a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films, claiming that movie jobs have been “stolen” by international competitors. The announcement marks the second time Trump has threatened tariffs on films produced outside the United States.
“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing candy from a baby,” President Trump said in a Truth Social Post. “California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.”
Fayette County, Georgia — home to Trilith Studios and known as the “Hollywood of the South” — has been a magnet for blockbuster productions, including Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Captain America: Brave New World.”
‘TRUMP ANNOUNCES 100% TARIFF ON ALL FOREIGN-MADE PRODUCED MOVIES: ‘WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!’
Marvel is among the many Hollywood studios that have filmed in Georgia to take advantage of the state’s generous tax incentives for film. The company has produced nearly two dozen superhero movies and TV shows in the Atlanta area.
However, the studio has recently seen some film jobs move overseas. Marvel Studios announced plans to relocate from Georgia to the U.K. after more than a decade of filming in the state. Beginning with this summer’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Marvel is making most upcoming projects in the United Kingdom.
Some in the industry believe Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign-made films could help the film industry keep jobs in the United States.
“He wants to bring the movies back to our home … to stop movie companies from going to Budapest, Australia,” said Eddie Matthews, a veteran of the film industry and president of Hollywood South Films. “It’ll tax them when they come back, and so they’re going to say, ‘OK, we can’t leave the country now. Where’s best tax incentive in this country to go to?’ and hopefully it’ll be Atlanta, and we’ll be booming here.”
Matthews – a veteran in the film industry – pointed out that the U.S. is losing major projects to Canada, and other major film markets.
“I mean Canada alone does hundreds and hundreds of movies per year, if we just got those alone, let alone the hundreds that are going everywhere else, it would be wonderful,” Matthews said.
‘TRUMP’S FOREIGN MOVIE TARIFF WOULD ‘DEVASTATE’ HOLLYWOOD WORKERS, FILM PRODUCER SAYS’
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, U.S. film production in 2023 represented 5.32% of global output – down from 9.53% the year before.
Some in the industry believe tariffs could have a negative impact on the film industry, given the nature of the movie business.
“The tariff would not really work the same way that folks generally see tariffs as working. They’re usually product-based for cars or computers or things that are actually crossing a border, and it’s a physical product,” said Randy Davidson, CEO of Georgia Entertainment. “A movie has multiple owners – and then you have projects and productions just like Superman that was just recently done in Georgia, where locations are done across the country and across the world. It would be very, very difficult to put those things together.”
Davidson warned tariffs could backfire and drastically increase prices for movie theaters and streaming services.
‘TRUMP’S BOLD MOVE: 100% TARIFFS ON OVERSEAS MOVIES TO REVIVE AMERICAN FILMMAKING’
“I had an example given to me where you would go to a theater, and there would be a list of movies on the left that were produced overseas that are $40 each to see, and there would be the ones that are on the right-hand side done in America that would be $15.”
Instead of tariffs, Davidson believes a country-wide tax incentive – similar to what’s done in other countries – could be more effective.
“When the president mentioned a tariff before, there was a group that came together and there are legislators that are walking this through our legislative process in D.C. as we speak in the Senate and in the House,” Davidson said. “We’ve heard from production executives at Netflix and Warner Brothers and others where a federal incentive would actually make it easier to stay in America.”
For now, Trump’s tariff proposal remains just that – a proposal – and the White House has not said when the tariffs might take effect. Still, the idea is already dividing the industry.
FOR MORE FOX BUSINESS CLICK HERE
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the full article here
