Editors note: Min Rui is a culture reporter and a special commentator for CGTN.
The following commentary reflects her own views.On May 4, United States President Donald Trump claimed on social media that the US movie industry was : : DYING a very quick death : and authorized a 100 percent tariff on all foreign-produced movies imported into the United States, with the goal of bringing the film market back to American soil.However the marketplace : : s response was a thunderclap of dissent.
Shares of Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Bros.
plunged after the news broke -- a big : : no thanks : to this policy.This advancement marks the very first time that the : : tariff war : has actually penetrated the service sector, which has long operated on the concepts of international cooperation and open markets.
In 2024, the United States media reported that the overall service trade surplus of the United States was nearly $300 billion, giving it a substantial advantage in the international trade services sector.But here : : s the kicker: the larger that benefit, the more marvelously it will crash and burn when this tariff ordeal hits.
So buckle up Hollywood-- this is going to hurt.Skyrocketing costsIn recent years, lots of American film companies have moved their filming and post-production to nations like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada in order to cut costs and obtain tax incentives.
: : Deadpool & Wolverine, : : Wicked, : and : Gladiator 2 : may all be the brainchild of Hollywood studios, but their superpowers and magic were actually conjured up overseas.Once the tariffs remain in place, the production costs of major studios will soar considerably.
It : : s simple to presume their revenues will nosedive like the Titanic : : s eventful plunge.
High-stakes smash hits will be axed in a heartbeat.
The shrinking production scales will even more slash new releases and annihilate tasks, pushing the movie sector into a tight corner.Global paybackHollywood prospers on international partnership yet foreign retaliation might bring disastrous consequences for the United States film industry.
In 2024, approximately 70 percent of global box-office revenue-- some $30 billion-- originated outside the United States and Canada.Countries such as New Zealand and Australia have actually clearly specified that they will take countermeasures against the United States.
As soon as various countries impose counter-tariffs, the US film market will undoubtedly suffer a heavy blow in overseas markets.Industry insiders mentioned that this might result in a boost in motion picture ticket costs for American movies, forcing audiences to move towards streaming media, and threaten to shake the really structures of Tinseltown.A California-sized showdownTrump claims that he wishes to safeguard the US film market with the proposed tariffs, but the resulting : : lights, cam, inaction : scenario has actually raised concerns about whether its real industry security or merely political theater.Hollywood has long sustained California : : s economy, pumping in more than $70 billion into the economy every year, and remains a Democratic stronghold.
For lots of Democrats, the tariff is a stab in the back.According to a report from FilmLA, on-location shooting in Los Angeles fell 22percent in the first quarter this year.
Facing damage to its pillar market, on April 16 California Governor Gavin Newsom took legal action against the Trump administration, demanding a halt to the tariff policy.Whether Trump : : s move is focused on hitting California or really protecting Hollywood, maybe individuals of California are the ones who understand best.China eyes a shared futureThe United States and China are the world : : s largest and second-largest film markets, respectively.
China remains a crucial overseas market for Hollywood.Even after China : : s National Film Administration announced a moderate cut in US movie imports in April, American motion pictures such as : : Thunderbolts, : : A Minecraft Movie, : and the Oscar-winning : A Complete Unknown : : are still being evaluated across the nation, vividly illustrating Chinese market : : s inclusiveness.On the export front, China : : s animated hit : Ne Zha 2 : is making its method to new nations and was just recently released in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Türkiye.
The movie has earned over 15.8 billion yuan ($2.18 billion) globally, making it among the leading five movies in the world -- and inching ever-closer to Titanic by the day.At the Beijing International Film Festival in late April, many worldwide filmmakers expressed open confidence in the Chinese film market for its inclusiveness, vibrancy and abundance of new opportunities.As the United States constructs tariff walls, China is opening its doors large to the global film market, proving that cooperation works better than seclusion while offering a path forward.
For Hollywood, the response may lie in Chinas vision of a : : shared future.
: Even in American hits, superheroes dont win alone; they accomplishment as a team, like the Avengers.