Latest news with #Oscar-winners
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
16 Great New Movies to Watch This Weekend on Netflix, (HBO) Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime and More
The middle of May usually means one thing — more great late 2024 and early 2025 movies are about to debut on subscription streaming services. That's certainly the case this week, with about a half-dozen premieres scheduled for Netflix, Max, Paramount+ and more. Not all of these movies are worth watching, so Watch With Us has compiled the following list of the best movies to stream this weekend. At the top of the list are two Oscar-winners, The Brutalist and I'm Still Here, but there's also a British drama about two sisters and an action-comedy that the Academy would never honor. All are worth checking out this weekend, so lock the doors, turn on the television and prepare yourself for some high-quality movies you won't soon forget. Need more recommendations? Then check out the Best New Shows on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More, the Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now, the Best Movies on Hulu Right Now and Best Movies on Netflix Right Caine (Jack Quaid) is an ordinary fellow with an extraordinary gift — he was born with a physical insensitivity to pain. He's never had to use it until he falls in love with Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a coworker at his bank, who some violent bank robbers kidnap. To get her back, Nathan will have to endure being punched, kicked, stabbed, burned and thrown every which way but loose. That's OK, though, because Nathan can't feel anything except his love for Sherry. Novocaine has everything you'd want in a B-action movie: a likable protagonist, some gnarly fight sequences and a simple yet ingenious premise. The film doesn't pretend to be anything it's not — there are no profound statements about life or any subtext at all. It's a lighthearted action flick with graphic violence and an oddly sweet love center buried beneath its ample bloodshed. In the early 1970s, Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) lives an idyllic life with her husband, Rubens, and their five children in their beach house in Rio de Janeiro. But her picture-perfect world is shattered when Rubens is arrested and Eunice is questioned about his political activities. She denies any knowledge, and while she's released, her husband disappears while in police custody. Eunice then embarks on a long and frustrating quest to find out what happened to her husband in the vain hope of reuniting her once tight-knit family. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress, I'm Still Here is one of 2024's best movies. It's a political thriller rooted in reality (it's based on a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva) and methodically documents one woman's experience in a time and place characterized by violent social change. The film is terrific, but it belongs to Torres, who infuses Eunice with a steely emotion that just might break you. I'm Still Here starts streaming on May 17. Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is angry, and she doesn't know why. She lashes out at everyone — her husband, her adult son, even her sister, Chantelle (Michelle Austin), who takes her outbursts in stride — and she never seems happy with the life she's got. But when she visits her mother's grave, some old feelings — and yes, hard truths — rise to the surface, forcing her to confront some buried trauma that may be the cause of her discontent. Hard Truths doesn't sound pleasant to watch, but it is, and that's due to writer-director Mike Leigh, who infuses some black humor into what would otherwise be a downer of a movie. Pansy's tirades are unhinged, but they're often very funny, and you might find yourself laughing and wincing at the same time. László Tóth (Adrien Brody) longs to realize his dreams, and to do that, he has to leave his native Hungary and settle in America. He succeeds, and after a period of struggle, he finds work with the wealthy but garish Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Harrison recognizes László's talents, but he also envies them. As the years pass, László persistently fights Harrison to realize his artistic vision, which takes its toll on his career and relationships with his wife and daughter. Can art and commerce exist peacefully? Or are they constantly at odds, much like László and Harrison? The Brutalist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2025, and it deserved every one of them. It's an American epic about an intimate story involving two men who share wildly different views about Life and Art. Brody won his second Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and he's terrific as an obstinate artist who refuses to compromise, even if that means suffering years of poverty and one shocking act of violence that will change his life forever. The Brutalist is a big and bold picture, and it wears its pretentiousness like a badge of honor. Imagine a movie with the plot structure of a fairy tale and the aesthetics of The Substance and you'd get something like The Ugly Stepsister. Retelling the Cinderella fable as a horror film, The Ugly Stepsister centers around Elvira (Lea Myren), the titular ugly duckling who can't compete with her new stepsister's natural beauty. She tries, though, and her painful attempts to beautify herself, which involve primitive plastic surgery techniques and ingesting tapeworms to lose weight, only drive her sibling into a handsome prince's arms. Can Elvira find her happy ending, or is she destined to be 'the ugly stepsister' until she dies? Director Emilie Blichfeldt wisely bypasses Disney's squeaky-clean version of Cinderella and focuses on the gruesomeness inherent in the original Brothers Grimm story. Body horror is more popular than ever now, and it's never been used more effectively than it has here. The lengths Elvira goes to change her body, which involves breaking her own nose to make it more 'perfect,' are not only effectively scary, but also a sly commentary on the impossible beauty standards women face then and now. And while The Ugly Stepsister is a deep, complex picture that's impeccably acted, beautiful to look at and thought-provoking, it's also a very good horror movie that gives you all the blood and viscera you want in a genre picture. Don't miss one of 2025's most surprising — and best — movies. Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) is hopelessly adrift. He just lost his mother, and his life is devoid of the meaning it once had when she was alive. Looking for a purpose, he opens an Italian restaurant on Staten Island. But it's no ordinary restaurant, though, as the cooking staff is mostly made up of retired grandmothers who can cook a mean calzone. Surrounded by these no-nonsense nonnas, can Joe regain the spark he once had? Nonnas is exactly what you'd expect it to be — a broad comedy that frequently trades in ethnic humor and Italian stereotypes. It helps that the cast makes the slightly outdated material work as well as it does. Vaughn has his best lead film role in years as the sad-sack Joe, while Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro steal the show as the titular nonnas who love trading insults as much as they cook pasta primavera. It's no Moonstruck, but Nonnas is charming enough to be worth a watch on a lazy weekend. It's the 19th century, and a small fishing village near the Arctic is running out of food. Eva (Odessa Young) does her best to stay alive and comfort others, but even she becomes exasperated when survivors of a shipwreck threaten to consume what little food the town has left. To make matters worse, rumors of undead creatures called draugr stalking the shore begin to circulate, which causes the hungry townspeople to turn against each other. Is the village under a supernatural curse? Or is something more sinister at play? The Damned conjures up a spooky, ambiguous atmosphere that keeps you in perpetual suspense — and continuous dread. It's incredibly unsettling, and it has one of the best twist endings so far this year. Watch it with the lights on and a full stomach. Movie sequels are typically bigger, bolder and a little less enjoyable than their predecessors, and Another Simple Favor is no different. That's OK, though, since this breezy follow-up still has most of what made the first movie so enjoyable: crazy plot twists, luxurious homes no one could possibly afford, outlandish outfits and, of course, gin martinis. Five years have passed since Emily (Blake Lively) went to prison for her crimes, and her former best friend, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), thinks she'll never see her again. But one day, a now-free Emily unexpectedly shows up and wants Stephanie to be her Maid of Honor at her destination wedding in Capri. Stephanie can't trust Emily at all, but she needs some juicy source material for her next book. Can Stephanie survive doing yet another simple favor for her killer frenemy? Some say Hollywood doesn't make movies for adults anymore. That's not exactly true — they do, it's just nobody watches them in theaters anymore. That was the case with Black Bag, a terrific thriller about married spies that came and went in theaters just two months ago. It's now on Peacock, so there's no excuse not to watch one of 2025's best movies. George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is good at his job as an intelligence officer and in his marriage to Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). But both are soon tested when George is tasked with finding a mole within the agency who is leaking sensitive information about Severus, a top-secret software program. One of the suspects is Kathryn, who also works at the agency. Is Kathryn the mole? George has to find out fast, but is he willing to sacrifice his marriage for the safety of his country? It's the end of the world, and for one lucky family, they feel fine. They also feel like singing, and that's what separates The End from all the other post-apocalyptic movies in the sci-fi genre. Yes, it's a musical, but it's less Wicked and more Dancer in the Dark. In other words, the songs are all staged and sung realistically and reflect the wide range of emotions each character experiences as they deal with a colossal case of survivor's guilt. Decades after an environmental catastrophe wiped out most of humanity, one affluent family still lives in an underground bunker. The Mother (Tilda Swinton) and Father (Michael Shannon) try to bring some sense of normalcy to their extraordinary circumstance, but their 20-year-old Son (George MacKay) yearns to explore outside. When a strange Girl (Moses Ingram) arrives and falls in love with the Son, the family's tenuous bonds begin to unravel as past indiscretions rise to the surface. This is the film that made drinking a glass of milk the height of erotic ecstasy. In Babygirl, Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) is a high-powered CEO happily married to a theater director and has two wonderful teenage daughters. She also has a lackluster sex life and watches porn to achieve orgasm. But when hunky intern Sam (Harris Dickinson) propositions her, Romy can't resist his charms — or his dominant behavior that give her the sexual pleasure she's been seeking all along. Babygirl has been described as an erotic thriller, but it's really a drama about sex that intelligently explores a woman's desires. Kidman is excellent as Romy, who craves power in the boardroom and submission in the bedroom. The film has some unexpected comedic bits that work and a dance sequence set to George Michael's 'Father Figure' that's both funny and sexy. But that's Babygirl in a nutshell, and its complicated characters will make you want to watch it again and again. If you're in the mood for an intense action movie with jaw-dropping stunts, Havoc will satisfy you. Tom Hardy stars as Walker, a jaded detective who is in a lot of trouble. A drug deal has just gone bad and he's on the run from a gun-happy crime syndicate that wants him dead and some dirty cops who don't want their criminal side hustles exposed. To make it worse, he has to protect a crooked politician's son who was involved in the drug deal and knows more than he's letting on. Can Walker save the boy and not be killed in the process? The plot isn't anything new, but Havoc is worth watching just for the stunts alone. The movie was directed by Gareth Evans, who made the modern action classics The Raid and Gangs of London, so there are a lot of gunshots, explosions and face-smashing fights. Hell, there's even a chase scene where someone throws a washing machine onto a pursuing cop car. Havoc is good, silly fun, the kind of movie you're glad to watch while it's on and forget about when you finish it. Remember way back in 2000 when Russell Crowe asked, 'Are you not entertained?' to the roaring crowds in Gladiator? Well, be prepared to answer that question again in the long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II. The Ridley Scott film isn't perfect — it doesn't match the raw, muscular power of its predecessor, and Crowe's brawny presence is sorely missed — but it's still largely entertaining, and Denzel Washington gives one of his loosest, most enjoyable performances ever. Years after Maximus Meridius' death, his exiled son Lucius (Paul Mescal) follows in his father's footsteps and seeks revenge on the powerful people who killed his wife. But his need for vengeance will bring him back to a home he has never known and a mother (Connie Nielsen) who abandoned him to protect him. Can Lucius fulfil his destiny while also satisfying his need to honor the family he lost? Well, the answer is kinda obvious, but the journey getting there is mostly a blast. One of Gladiator II's highlights is the brutal sword-on-sword action between Mescal and Pedro Pascal's General Acacius, who relishes playing a villain as charismatic and lethal as his Oberyn in Game of Thrones. Movie biopics about musical legends have become a bit of a running joke over the past decade or so. Anyone who endured Bohemian Rhapsody or Back to Black will tell you that the genre has become a parody of itself. But A Complete Unknown is one of the better recent biopics because of the assured direction by James Mangold, a strong supporting cast with Oscar nominees Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro and a great lead performance by Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. The movie takes place during Dylan's early days as an up-and-coming singer in the early '60s New York City folk scene, where Pete Seeger (Norton) mentors him and Joan Baez (Barbaro) collaborates with him professionally and personally. Dylan soon eclipses them both in popularity, but his desire to experiment — specifically by ditching his acoustic guitar for an electric one — causes him to question his purpose as a musician and a symbol of the emerging counterculture movement. Chalamet is an uncanny mimic, but his performance as Dylan is more than just a flattering imitation. He understands that Dylan can't really be entirely understood, and his slipperiness — his resistance to being pinned down to just one identity — is the bulk of his appeal. A Complete Unknown is nirvana for Dylan fans, but it's accessible and entertaining enough for the uninitiated, too. In 2019, Disney ruled the box office with their live-action remake of the beloved 1994 animated movie, The Lion King. It was only a matter of time before they released the inevitable sequel — or in Mufasa's case, a prequel — and while it didn't make as much money as its predecessor, it's better and more memorable. That's largely due to director Barry Jenkins, who brings his distinctive empathy for his characters — even photorealistic CGI ones — and eye for the odd striking visual to the origin story of Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) and Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), his adoptive brother. Despite their different temperaments, the two cubs form a strong bond, and they'll need it as they flee from the dangerous Outsiders. Can the brothers hold back their enemies to reclaim the Pride Lands before it's too late? It's time to defy gravity all over again as one of 2024's highest-grossing movies is now available to stream — Wicked! In John M. Chu's candy-colored adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, the origins of The Wizard of Oz's two witches get the feature film treatment, complete with a massive 160-minute runtime. That's how long it takes to tell the story of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), a green-skinned outcast at Shiz University who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the perky, blonde and popular Galinda (Ariana Grande). But can this friendship survive the handsome Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who pulls at Elphaba's heart, or the secret the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is hiding from them all? Wicked is unabashedly a musical, full of soaring ballads and power anthems about love and being free, and the filmmaking is like that, too. It's a bit exhausting, but it's also fun and easy on the eyes. Erivo is deadly serious as the proto-Wicked Witch of the West, while Grande is as bouncy and shiny as one of the bubbles she uses to fly around in.
Hans India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Fourth-gen Nandamuri hero makes grand entry with YVS Chowdary's next
Carrying forward the glorious Nandamuri legacy, a new face is set to shine in Telugu cinema. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, the great-grandson of the legendary NTR, grandson of Harikrishna, and son of the late Janakiram, is making his cinematic debut in a film directed by veteran YVS Chowdary. The film, produced by Yelamanchili Geetha under the banner 'New Talent Roars @,' also introduces Telugu girl and Kuchipudi dancer Veena Rao as the female lead. The film's grand muhurtham was held at NTR Ghat in Hyderabad, in the presence of prominent Nandamuri family members and dignitaries. Nara Bhuvaneshwari clapped for the first scene, Daggubati Purandeswari switched on the camera, and Garapati Lokeshwari directed the momentous shot. The event saw heartfelt speeches from the Nandamuri family. Purandeswari emphasized the legacy of NTR, saying the young Taraka Rama Rao, fondly called Ram, enters the industry with the blessings of his legendary ancestors. Bhuvaneshwari praised Ram's dedication and extended her best wishes, while Mohan Krishna reminisced about Janakiram's close bond with NTR and expressed joy over witnessing Ram's debut. Director YVS Chowdary called the launch a deeply emotional moment and thanked the Nandamuri family for their support. He also assured that the film, rooted in Telugu literature and culture, would be a visual treat for audiences. With Oscar-winners MM Keeravani composing music and Chandrabose penning lyrics, along with dialogues by Sai Madhav Burra, the film promises a rich cinematic experience. As the fourth generation of Nandamuris steps into the spotlight, expectations are sky-high for this much-anticipated debut.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After Trump vows tariffs on foreign movies, the Canadian film industry says he's lost the plot
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to impose a 100 per cent tariff on movies produced outside the country, a move that could devastate the Canadian film landscape — but experts are scratching their heads over how such a tax would work, given how intertwined the global film industry is. Trump, in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, said he directed the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to "immediately begin the process" of imposing the tariff. He hasn't signed an executive order, and the White House said on Monday that no final decisions had been made. Other countries "are offering all sorts of incentives to draw out filmmakers and studios away from the United States," Trump wrote. "Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated," he went on, framing it as a matter of national security. Asked if he'd float the issue during his meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, Trump responded that Canada is "only one of many countries" that uses tax incentives to lure U.S. film offered few details on what this latest plank in his tariff regime would entail, or how it would be executed — including whether it would impact co-productions, or films made entirely abroad and exhibited in the U.S., not to mention those that appear on streaming services and at film festivals. Greg Denny, a Canadian film producer whose most recent credits include The Apprentice, a biopic about Trump that was partially shot in Toronto, says movies are rarely the product of a single country."We're not creating a good here. We're creating a movie. How do you put a tariff on top of that?" he asked. "This is many countries working together at all times, creating footage and content... It's not really something I see you can put a tariff on." The announcement also drew swift rebukes from the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the actors' union. B.C. Premier David Eby called the proposal "incredibly hard to understand," while Ontario's Doug Ford lamented that it's "something new with [Trump]" every day. Why Hollywood goes north Like other parts of its economy, Canada's film industry is deeply intertwined with that of its southern neighbour. Oscar-winners like Titanic, The Revenant and Juno were all filmed at least partly on Canadian soil; and Hollywood filmmakers from Guillermo Del Toro to Christopher Nolan have shot multiple movies here. That means Canada is also vulnerable to crises that originate in Hollywood, like the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which further wounded an industry still recovering from pandemic-related shutdowns. Canada is highly appealing to U.S. film producers, according to experts. The filmmaking workforce is highly skilled, but costs less to pay, and Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax are frequently used as stand-ins for other cities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. U.S. film production creates 30,000 jobs and has a $2.6 billion economic impact in Toronto alone, according to Mayor Olivia Chow. Most importantly, the federal government offers a 16 per cent refundable tax credit, which is used to attract foreign productions from Hollywood and elsewhere to Canada. Provinces also have their own tax incentives, some of which — like Ontario's — can be harmonized with the federal credit. B.C., meanwhile, announced just a few months ago that it would up its production tax incentives, and give a 2 per cent bonus to productions that spend big in the province. CBC News reached out to several major U.S. studios for their reaction, but none have responded. Trump said on Monday that he'd meet with the industry to discuss the proposal. "I'm not looking to hurt the industry. I want to help," he said. "I want to make sure they're happy with it because we're all about jobs." 'The consumer still wants to consume' Charlie Keil, professor at the University of Toronto's Cinema Studies Institute, says a U.S. film industry exodus from Canada would have a "devastating impact" on the domestic sector. But it's hard to know how a tariff like the one Trump is proposing would be imposed, and to which movies it would apply. "There's a whole spectrum here, between films that are primarily made in the U.S. but might have some post-production work done in another country, to films that are entirely made by another country," he said. There's also the question of who would absorb the cost of the tariff. After years of price hikes and hidden junk fees, a more expensive movie ticket likely wouldn't fly with audiences, says Keil. That would mean theatre owners would eat the cost themselves or split it with a distributor, which would make production itself more expensive. Retaliatory tariffs would further complicate things, given that the global box office is deeply important to the success of a blockbuster, Keil notes. And what about U.S. streaming services? Netflix, for example, has seen success with foreign-made content — being the primary distributor for Oscar fare like Spain's Society of the Snow and South Korea's Okja. Noah Segal, the co-president of the Toronto-based film distributor Elevation Pictures, says major streamers are unlikely to get on board with Trump's proposal. "I think that they want to get localized content going because they know there's certain [niches] that they can't get through American content," he said. However, if a U.S. tariff is imposed globally on other filmmaking countries, Segal argues that it could be a boon for Canada's domestic industry. "If there's less content, the consumer still wants to consume as much as the consumer wants to consume. So therefore, it may be a great opportunity for Canadian content, Canadian culture and Canadian industry," he said. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's movie tariff threat alarms India's film makers
By Haripriya Suresh, Saurabh Sharma and Rishika Sadam BENGALURU/NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD (Reuters) -India's film industry, which earns roughly 40% of its overseas revenue from the United States, sounded the alarm this week about higher costs after President Donald Trump threatened a tariff of 100% on all movies produced beyond American soil. Film makers, producers and distributors in one of the world's largest film industries by output struggled to weigh the likely impact of such a tariff as Trump provided scant details, stirring more questions than answers. "The real question is how the term 'foreign produced' will be defined, and until that's clear, it's hard to say anything," said film maker Anubhav Sinha, known for his Netflix streaming series, "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack". "It's not yet clear whether services like post-production will be affected." India's film industry employs 272,000 people, with overseas box office takings of about 20 billion rupees ($237 million) in fiscal 2024, or a tenth of total earnings, Deloitte and studio grouping the Motion Picture Association said in a report. Key Hollywood films with India scenes are Oscar-winners such as the rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire", and the Osama bin Laden manhunt thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty", along with rom-com "Eat, Pray Love", and Batman outing "The Dark Knight Rises". In the absence of details on the planned levy, film producers worry it could double the cost of exporting their films to the United States, where people of Indian descent are estimated to number 5.2 million. "The United States is one of the most important overseas markets for Indian cinema, largely due to the substantial diaspora," said producer Madhu Bhojwani, reponsible for hits such as "Airlift", on workers evacuated from Kuwait during the Gulf War. "Any increase in ticket prices resulting from these tariffs would directly affect audience turnout, compounding the challenges posed by evolving consumer behaviour and broader industry headwinds." The cost-effective South Asian nation has also grown in stature as Hollywood's preferred hub for on-ground production and post-production services, especially in visual effects, since it offers a skilled talent pool. "Almost 10 to 15 (foreign) movies are shot in India every year, and our movie industry will be impacted very badly," said film trade analyst Komal Nahta. LIKELY HIT TO REVENUE Prominent Indian actor and producer Prakash Raj called Trump's move "tariff terrorism". If the tariff covers post-production services, the consequences will be bigger, added Bhojwani, the co-founder of Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures. "We can expect a potential decline in outsourced work from U.S. studios to Indian vendors, which could have notable implications for the Indian media services sector," she said. "If revenue from the U.S. drops, it could affect budget planning and profitability for Indian production houses," said Pradeep Dwivedi, chief executive of Eros International Media. "Big-budget films counting on overseas revenue could be restructured or scaled back." The move will also hurt smaller releases in the United States. "Even a 30% drop in revenue for such mid-scale movies would be a significant dent," said Raj Kandukuri, producer of a well-regarded film, "Pelli Choopulu", in India's southern language of Telugu. "There are a sizeable number of students in the United States who watch movies, they will not spend high on ticket prices." The planned levy might also drive a broader shift to digital platforms. "U.S. distributors might be less inclined to pick up Indian titles due to the increased cost," Dwivedi said. "This could result in fewer screens, smaller releases, and a shift toward digital platforms instead of theatrical. The tariff would likely accelerate a move toward direct-to-digital releases on platforms like ErosNow, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu." ($1=84.2560 rupees) (Reporting by Haripriya Suresh in Bengaluru, Saurabh Sharma in New Delhi, and Rishika Sadam in Hyderabad; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Clarence Fernandez)
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump's movie tariff threat alarms India's film makers
Summary Companies U.S. generates 40% of overseas revenue for Indian film industry Lack of details on Trump's order sparks confusion, fear Producers fear tariff could double cost of exports to U.S. India has become hub for production, visual effects Plan could speed shift to direct-to-digital releases BENGALURU/NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD, May 7 (Reuters) - India's film industry, which earns roughly 40% of its overseas revenue from the United States, sounded the alarm this week about higher costs after President Donald Trump threatened a tariff of 100% on all movies produced beyond American soil. Film makers, producers and distributors in one of the world's largest film industries by output struggled to weigh the likely impact of such a tariff as Trump provided scant details, stirring more questions than answers. "The real question is how the term 'foreign produced' will be defined, and until that's clear, it's hard to say anything," said film maker Anubhav Sinha, known for his Netflix streaming series, "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack". "It's not yet clear whether services like post-production will be affected." India's film industry employs 272,000 people, with overseas box office takings of about 20 billion rupees ($237 million) in fiscal 2024, or a tenth of total earnings, Deloitte and studio grouping the Motion Picture Association said in a report. Key Hollywood films with India scenes are Oscar-winners such as the rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire", and the Osama bin Laden manhunt thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty", along with rom-com "Eat, Pray Love", and Batman outing "The Dark Knight Rises". In the absence of details on the planned levy, film producers worry it could double the cost of exporting their films to the United States, where people of Indian descent are estimated to number 5.2 million. "The United States is one of the most important overseas markets for Indian cinema, largely due to the substantial diaspora," said producer Madhu Bhojwani, reponsible for hits such as "Airlift", on workers evacuated from Kuwait during the Gulf War. "Any increase in ticket prices resulting from these tariffs would directly affect audience turnout, compounding the challenges posed by evolving consumer behaviour and broader industry headwinds." The cost-effective South Asian nation has also grown in stature as Hollywood's preferred hub for on-ground production and post-production services, especially in visual effects, since it offers a skilled talent pool. "Almost 10 to 15 (foreign) movies are shot in India every year, and our movie industry will be impacted very badly," said film trade analyst Komal Nahta. LIKELY HIT TO REVENUE Prominent Indian actor and producer Prakash Raj called Trump's move "tariff terrorism". If the tariff covers post-production services, the consequences will be bigger, added Bhojwani, the co-founder of Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures. "We can expect a potential decline in outsourced work from U.S. studios to Indian vendors, which could have notable implications for the Indian media services sector," she said. "If revenue from the U.S. drops, it could affect budget planning and profitability for Indian production houses," said Pradeep Dwivedi, chief executive of Eros International Media ( opens new tab. "Big-budget films counting on overseas revenue could be restructured or scaled back." The move will also hurt smaller releases in the United States. "Even a 30% drop in revenue for such mid-scale movies would be a significant dent," said Raj Kandukuri, producer of a well-regarded film, "Pelli Choopulu", in India's southern language of Telugu. "There are a sizeable number of students in the United States who watch movies, they will not spend high on ticket prices." The planned levy might also drive a broader shift to digital platforms. "U.S. distributors might be less inclined to pick up Indian titles due to the increased cost," Dwivedi said. "This could result in fewer screens, smaller releases, and a shift toward digital platforms instead of theatrical. The tariff would likely accelerate a move toward direct-to-digital releases on platforms like ErosNow, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu." ($1=84.2560 rupees)
