US president Donald Trump said that he will hit films made in foreign countries with 100 percent tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world.
Trump said he was authorising the Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America's film industry was dying "a very fast death".
He blamed a "concerted effort" by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a "national security threat".
His remarks could spell a "knock-out blow" to the industry, one union warned, where filmmakers have for years left Hollywood for destinations including the UK and Canada to lower costs, BBC reported.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform: "It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!"
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the announcement, saying "We're on it".
But the details are unclear. Trump's statement did not say whether the tariff would apply to American production companies producing films abroad.
Several recent major films produced by US studios were shot outside of America, including Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked and Gladiator II.
It was also unclear if the tariffs would apply to films on streaming services, such as Netflix, as well as those shown at cinemas, or how they would be calculated.
The founder of European cinema chain Vue, Timothy Richards, questioned how Trump would define a US film.
Meanwhile, UK media union Bectu warned the tariffs could "deal a knock-out blow" to the industry and its tens of thousands of freelancers, as it recovered from the pandemic and a "recent slowdown".
bd-pratidin/GR
