Skepticism reigns in Hollywood on Monday in the face of customs duties of 100% desired by Donald Trump on films produced outside the United States, an idea that professional and experts consider meaning of meaning and unsuitable for the needs of American audiovisual industry.
“It makes no sense,” Jonathan Handel told AFP. This lawyer specializing in the entertainment industry recalls that many American productions, from James Bond via the saga Mission Impossibleturn abroad for obvious creative reasons.
“If a waterfall provides that Tom Cruise climbed the Eiffel Tower, what are we supposed to do?” He wonders. “Film that on the replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas?” It’s just absurd. “
Donald Trump said on Sunday on Truth Social that his government was “immediately the process of establishing customs duties of 100%” on the films broadcast in the United States but produced abroad.
“We want films made in America,” insisted the president, whose second mandate is marked by an international trade war through all -out customs duties.
The announcement has plunged industry into uncertainty: studios see their shares fall on the stock market, unions are trying to understand this decision, especially if it also applies to series. And everyone wonders if it is even legally applicable.
Confusion
A film “falls in intellectual property”, points out Mr. Handel. “You can buy a film ticket, but you do not buy a film as you buy a garment or a car”, which are applied a surcharge by passing the border.
Even if a system was found to tax films produced abroad, customs duties “would do more harm than good,” said the lawyer.
“This would be the result of reducing production, increasing the cost of films, reducing the number of films available for cinemas and streaming platforms, which would harm distribution,” he explains.
Most studios and major professional organizations have not yet reacted. But the presidential message caused crisis meetings, according to the specialized press, which collects the dubious confidences of professionals speaking under the cover of anonymity.
“I see no other objective than to sow confusion and divert attention,” comments the manager of a large American distributor to the site Deadline.
“Hopefully this will only encourage American states to implement the essential increases in their tax credits as soon as possible,” he adds.
Because if the remedy proposed by Donald Trump divides, the diagnosis of an American Moribonde audiovisual production is widely shared.
Since the historical strikes of actors and writers who paralyzed the industry in 2023, Hollywood has struggled to restart.
Industry stifle
In Los Angeles, the number of filming days reached a historic low in 2024 – if the complete frost caused by the pandemic in 2020 is excluded.
This is notably due to the relocation of many productions, which the studios run in a growing number of countries offering them attractive tax advantages such as Thailand, Hungary or South Africa.
With Deadlinea financier of American cinema says he is “agree with Mr. Trump’s objective” to shoot in the United States.
But to repatriate production, “it is obvious that these are tax credits that need, not customs duties,” he said. “Customs duties will only be due to what remains of industry.”
Faced with the excitement caused by the announcement, a White House spokesman assured on Monday “that no decision was made” and that “the administration explores all the options”.
“I am not trying to harm the industry, I want to help him,” said Donald Trump to the press.
The president did not fail to criticize one of his black animals, the Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom, who would like to double the amount of tax credits for the audiovisual sector.
“Our film industry has been decimated by other countries that have taken it to us, but also by incompetence,” tackled Mr. Trump. “He just let Hollywood be stripped.”
