The U.S. film industry was approved earlier this week when President Donald Trump revealed his tariffs on international film production. The reaction to the news was full of negative effects from Hollywood and movie fans, even if the president himself believed it would greatly benefit the local industry. But if he intends to execute or even implement this, Hollywood has no real idea and just takes things into his own hands.
According to a recent variety show story, leaders of major studios (Disney, Disney and Warner Bros. Exploration all to name just a few), have a zoom call with the Film Society chief Charles Rivkin to find a “subtle way” to tell the White House how the film business works, and the difficulty of applying tariffs to films. As many people will tell you, movies are an effort. Most blockbusters are shot, financed or manufactured by teams outside the United States, usually for tax credits or other financial benefits. The studio head hopes that when Trump finally talks to them, they can clearly show that the U.S. film industry is “net positive” and that his concerns about leaving the country's production mainly affect California.
Speaking of California, state Attorney General Rob Bonta told Hollywood Reporter that he believes the tariffs could mean “the First Amendment to Action.” He argued that the president intends to follow “the blue state that does not seem to support him.” Shortly after the tariffs were announced, Trump considered Gov. Gavin Newsom “a very incompetent person.” [The industry] Other countries have eliminated it…he just allows it to be deprived. “In his case, the governor and accommodation in Los Angeles organizations have respectively raised ideas to the public about how to maintain production in the state (and more widely in the United States), but the president has not met with a potential solution.
The second Trump administration has a history of groups they don’t like or oppose their orders, such as the current dispute against Harvard when universities refuse to comply with their requirements. Bonta said his office is exploring legal proceedings based on violations of the First Amendment and hopes to “defend our state and our people, including Hollywood.” It is unclear whether this argument against tariffs will be brought in court, but for the moment, it is the only drama of its office.
As for the studio heads, many have been keeping quiet to avoid any financial fines. They are not clear about the declines under tariff jurisdiction: does it only apply to Hollywood productions, or is it also a problem for TV shows and streaming movies? It is not clear that the response of international countries is also a government decision.
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