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New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Trump's 100% tariff on foreign films threat: Why it's worrying to India, but not to China
Donald Trump has still not recovered from his bout of 'tariff'itis, if we can be allowed the liberty to term it so. The latest sign of the ailment was him calling foreign movies a "national security threat" and going on to puff up his favourite "I will be slapping a 100 per cent tariff on them" line. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump wrote, "The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," adding that other countries are offering "all sorts of incentives" to drive filmmakers and studios away from the US. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat," he further wrote, describing foreign films as "messaging and propaganda." He also added that he was authorising the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative "to immediately begin the process" of imposing a 100 per cent tariff on films coming into the US which are "produced in Foreign Lands". On Monday, there were signs that White House might have begun to realise the Alice in Wonderland quality to the announcement. Might be the King did not mean Off with heads after all. "Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump's directive to safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. But many were still left wondering what the announcement implied and how the filters might be applied. Billion-dollar question The biggest question looming before them -- what exactly counts as a foreign film in today's globalised world? Remember films these days rely very rarely on the resources of just one country. Big-budget movies backed even by American studios end up being filmed abroad with an international cast and crew. Take one such recent example, Wicked. One of the highest-grossing films in Hollywood, it was shot at Sky Studios Elstree in the United Kingdom. In the same way, Barbie was also shot in the UK, at Warner Brothers' studios. The production of Barbie added more than 80 million pounds to the UK economy and generated hundreds of jobs. The same studio also made Wonka. Many American films have also been either fully or partly shot in Australia, such as Fall Guy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Australia offers many filming incentives, including a 30 per cent rebate under its location offset scheme. Similarly, New Zealand also provides similar tax benefits. The US gothic horror film Nosferatu was shot in Prague, Czech Republic. Other American films have also been made in Spain, Germany and New Zealand. Meanwhile, many of what Trump could consider to be "foreign films" also generate revenue for "the U.S.A". Many Indian films made over the past two decades have made use of Brooklyn Bridge, New York City and Miami beaches. Now, the question arises if these foreign films that generate revenue for the US are also guilty of "messaging and propaganda". Hurting Indian films The next big question is how much do foreign films rely on the US as a market? Shibasish Sarkar, president of the Producers Guild of India, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday that Indian films make over Rs 800 crore at the US box office every year. He predicted that "if this tariff is implemented, exhibitors will increase ticket prices and make it expensive for consumers because of which even footfalls will drop dramatically." Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri agreed. "I don't think anybody will watch them in theatres, especially when the films will be available on Netflix, Amazon, etc," he told PTI. The US is home to 5.4 million people of Indian origin, the largest Indian diaspora globally. But it's not just Indian films that perform well in the US. Paddington in Peru from the UK earned over USD 45 million there, while South Korean animation The King of Kings made USD 54.7 million in April, surpassing Parasite. However, unlike Parasite, The King of Kings is in English and features Hollywood actors like Oscar Isaac. One tariff that will not give China sleepless nights By contrast, Chinese films remain largely dependent on domestic audiences. Animated hit Ne Zha 2 grossed USD 1.9 billion, mostly in China, with over 99 per cent of its earnings from the mainland. Similarly, 2024 comedy Yolo earned just USD 2 million in the US despite being one of the year's top global hits. What Australia and New Zealand have to say Following Trump's threat, Australian Home Affairs Minister and Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, responded saying, "Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry." New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that his government was awaiting further details on the tariffs. "We'll have to see the detail of what actually ultimately emerges. But we'll be obviously a great advocate, great champion of that sector and that industry," he said. Philippa Childs, the head of UK media and entertainment union Bectu, called on her government to protect its film industry adding that "These tariffs, coming after COVID and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering", Childs said. Following the pattern of other Trump "threats", US media stocks fell on Monday following the announcement. Streaming giant Netflix saw its shares drop by 2.5 per cent in early trading, while Disney, Warner Brothers, and Comcast also recorded declines ranging from 0.7 to 1.7 per cent. With so much worry being unleashed, we must finally examine Trump's assumption that Hollywood is "dying". Is that for real? It is true that in recent years, Hollywood has faced a series of challenges, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, global box office revenues for Hollywood studios stood at around USD 30 billion, down 7 per cent from the previous year and still about 20 per cent below the pre-pandemic average, according to Gower Street Analytics. That same year, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA went on strike, demanding fairer contracts and protections against AI, which led to shutdowns and staff reductions across the industry. In early 2024, wildfires in Los Angeles damaged several filming locations and destroyed the homes of many actors. As the industry struggles with these setbacks, a push is under way to bring more productions back to California, with filmmakers and industry workers urging state lawmakers to boost tax incentives. Be that as it may, Trump's tariff threat may offer little relief to the industry, sparking instead fresh questions about what defines a "foreign" film in a world where cinema is inherently global. The US President may have framed the threat as protecting American interests, but it risks harming international collaborations and alienating key allies whose industries also support and enrich Hollywood. As the global film landscape continues to shift, such policies built on isolation may do little to revive a struggling industry - and instead only accelerate its decline.
Al Jazeera
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Trump threatens tariffs on foreign films: Who could be hit?
Popular US films from Wicked to Nosferatu were filmed in other countries including Australia and the UK. United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on foreign films, calling them a 'National Security threat' in a social media post on Sunday. With details sparse, Trump's threat has left many questions lingering. We unpack what his threat, if enforced, could mean; which film industries might take a hit; how his tariff targets might retaliate and how this would affect ticket prices. What did Trump announce? 'The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,' Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that other countries are offering 'all sorts of incentives' to drive filmmakers and studios away from the US. 'This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,' Trump wrote. Trump also described foreign films as 'messaging and propaganda'. He concluded his post saying he was authorising the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative 'to immediately begin the process' of imposing a 100 percent tariff on films coming into the US which are 'produced in Foreign Lands'. Sign up for Al Jazeera Americas Coverage Newsletter US politics, Canada's multiculturalism, South America's geopolitical rise—we bring you the stories that matter. Subscribe Your subscription failed. Please try again. Please check your email to confirm your subscription By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy protected by reCAPTCHA Advertisement On Monday, the White House appeared to take a step back. 'Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump's directive to safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,' White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. What counts as a foreign film? That's one of the many questions that have arisen from Trump's threat. As with most things, films in a globalised world rarely rely on resources from just one country: Hollywood movies, for instance, might have an American financial backer but could be shot in other countries, with actors and crew from different parts of the world. For instance, one of 2024's top-grossing Hollywood films, Wicked, was filmed in Sky Studios Elstree in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. Parts of Greta Gerwig's Barbie, released in 2023, were filmed in Warner Brothers' studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire in the UK. Barbie's California-esque Dreamhouse was actually built in a UK studio. During filming, Barbie's production generated more than 80 million pounds ($106m) for the UK economy, creating jobs and supporting local businesses. Trading bright pink pool slides for candy-churning Rube Goldberg machines, the same studio morphed into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in Paul King's Wonka, released later that year. Many US movies last year were also filmed partly or completely in Australia, including The Fall Guy, a comedy action film starring Ryan Gosling, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Australia's federal government offers incentives for big film projects in Australia, including a 30 percent rebate under the location offset scheme. New Zealand offers similar tax break incentives. Advertisement Released in the same year, US Gothic horror film Nosferatu was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic. US movies have also been filmed in New Zealand, Spain and Germany, among other countries. On the flip side, many non-US films are shot at least partly in the US. Successful Bollywood movies of the past two decades have used the Brooklyn Bridge, Miami's beaches and Chicago's neighbourhoods as backdrops for plots that have ranged from romantic comedies to robberies – adding to the attraction of US cities for Indian tourists. It's unclear whether such films – which bring revenue to the US – would classify as 'foreign' films. How much do foreign films rely on the US as a market? Indian films generate significant revenue from markets abroad. The 2016 film, Dangal, a biopic of India's famous wrestling sisters, Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat, generated about $12.4m from the US and Canada, according to website Box Office India. Indian films gross about $100m at the US box office, Shibasish Sarkar, president of the Producers Guild of India, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday. 'The diaspora market, which is price-sensitive, became a revenue source for Indian films,' filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri told PTI. Sarkar and Agnihotri speculated that ticket prices would increase if the tariffs were applied. 'I don't think anybody will watch them in theatres, especially when the films will be available on Netflix, Amazon, etc,' Agnihotri said. The US is home to 5.4 million people of Indian origin, the largest Indian diaspora population in the world. Advertisement But it isn't just Indian films that earn significantly in the US. Paddington in Peru, the 2024 film that's part of the UK franchise revolving around Paddington, the anthropomorphic bear, earned more than $45m in the US. Films from South Korea also fare well in US markets. In April this year, animated film The King of Kings, directed by Seong Ho Jang, earned $54.7m at the box office, surpassing Bong Joon-ho's 2019 film Academy Award-winning Parasite, which generated $53.8m in the US. These are the top-earning South Korean films in the US. But The King of the Kings is an English-language film, starring big Hollywood names such as Oscar Isaac. Parasite is a Korean-language film. On the other hand, films from countries like China are barely reliant on US viewership – with language still a barrier they haven't been able to overcome. In February this year, Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 became the highest-grossing animated film in history, making $1.9bn from nearly 80,000 screens four weeks after its release, according to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan. More than 99 percent of the Mandarin-language film's box office income came from mainland China. Yolo, the Chinese comedy superhit from 2024, earned only $2m in the US despite being the 14th highest-grossing film globally, according to IMDb's Box Office Mojo. How have other countries reacted to Trump's threat? Australian home affairs minister and minister for the arts, Tony Burke, responded to Trump's threat: 'Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry.' Advertisement New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his government was awaiting further details on the tariffs. 'We'll have to see the detail of what actually ultimately emerges. But we'll be obviously a great advocate, great champion of that sector and that industry,' he said. Philippa Childs, the head of UK media and entertainment union Bectu, called on her government to protect its film industry. 'These tariffs, coming after COVID and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering,' Childs said. How has the US reacted? US media stocks fell on Monday in the aftermath of Trump's announcement. The shares for streaming giant Netflix fell by 2.5 percent in early trading, while Disney, Warner Brothers and Comcast also declined between 0.7 and 1.7 percent. 'There is too much uncertainty, and this latest move raises more questions than answers,' PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore told the Reuters news agency. 'It doesn't feel like something that will happen in the short term as everyone will be grappling to understand the whole process. Inevitably costs will be passed on to consumers.' Is Hollywood 'dying' as Trump said? In recent years, Hollywood has faced several setbacks, among them the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Hollywood studios grossed about $30bn globally, down by about 7 percent from 2023, according to Gower Street Analytics. Despite last year's performance being better in terms of revenue than 2020, 2021 and 2022, it was still about 20 percent below the pre-pandemic average. Advertisement In 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) – trade unions representing Hollywood writers and performers – went on strike, demanding better working conditions and stronger protection against AI use. This led to the closure of some studios while others scaled back staff. In January this year, wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood. Several filming locations for television and movie productions in southern California were damaged or destroyed. Many actors also lost their homes to the fire. Many in the US film and television industry have rallied to bring production back to Hollywood, urging California legislators and the state's Governor Gavin Newsom to enact measures such as raising tax incentives to bring this to effect. The argument is that Hollywood is full of middle-class workers, gig workers and local businesses hit by a decline in production. 'If we don't stop the bleeding, then Los Angeles is at risk of becoming Detroit,' said filmmaker Sarah Adina Smith, an organiser of the 'Stay in LA' campaign that calls for productions to remain in the city, Reuters reported in April.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ariana Grande teases new song named after popular London area
Ariana Grande has revealed six new song titles - including one that appears to reference an area in London where she lived while filming Wicked. The 31-year old US pop singer revealed a deluxe copy of her album, Eternal Sunshine, with her 376 million Instagram followers on Monday and teased six new song titles. The tracks include Intro (End Of The World) Extended, Twilight Zone, Warm, Dandelion, Past Life and Hampstead. The final track appears to be a possible nod to her time spent in the leafy north London area. The Instagram story was followed by a video of someone spinning in their kitchen with excitement for the extended album release alongside a countdown clock titled 'Eternal Sunshine Deluxe' suggesting the release date will be in less than 11 days. Earlier in the year, Grande suggested she was living in Hampstead while filming the musical Wicked at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire with fellow Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. She said: 'I miss it here so much. I loved it here so much. I loved living here. I was in Hampstead when I was here and I loved my walks in the heath. 'I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs. 'I didn't know what a Sunday roast was, but I know that that's a thing now. I didn't know what that was and now I do and I'm changed for the better. It's so delightful and fun there are so many dogs and (the dog breed) Vizslas in (Hampstead) Heath 'I loved seeing them.' The two-time Grammy winner is best known for her hit songs 7 Rings, Rain On Me and No Tears Left To Cry, along with her recent Oscar nomination for best supporting actress playing good witch Glinda in the film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked. Grande will return for a sequel, Wicked: For Good, which comes out later this year to conclude the story of the green witch Elphaba (Erivo). The track teaser came days after Grande shared a video on her Instagram page with the caption 'brighter days ahead, the short film also coming 3.28'. The singer has had seven UK number one singles and five number one albums including Dangerous Woman, Sweetener and Thank U, Next. The former Nickelodeon star rose to fame after starring in the sitcom Victorious, which followed the lives of pupils at a performing arts school. She later released her debut album, Yours Truly, which kickstarted her music career.
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ariana Grande teases new songs including a track named after popular London area
Ariana Grande has teased the release of six songs including a track that appears to reference an area in London. Posting on Instagram, the 31-year old US pop singer and Wicked star revealed a deluxe copy of her album, Eternal Sunshine, with the final track named as Hampstead. Grande also shared a video that revealed the six new song titles: Intro (End Of The World) Extended, Twilight Zone, Warm, Dandelion, Past Life and Hampstead – a possible nod to her time spent in the leafy north London area. The Instagram story was followed by a video of someone spinning in their kitchen with excitement for the extended album release alongside a countdown clock titled 'Eternal Sunshine Deluxe' suggesting the release date will be in less than 11 days. Earlier in the year, Grande suggested she was living in Hampstead while filming the musical Wicked at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire with fellow Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. She said: 'I miss it here so much. I loved it here so much. I loved living here. I was in Hampstead when I was here and I loved my walks in the heath. 'I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs. 'I didn't know what a Sunday roast was, but I know that that's a thing now. I didn't know what that was and now I do and I'm changed for the better. It's so delightful and fun there are so many dogs and (the dog breed) Vizslas in (Hampstead) Heath 'I loved seeing them.' The two-time Grammy winner is best known for her hit songs 7 Rings, Rain On Me and No Tears Left To Cry, along with her recent Oscar nomination for best supporting actress playing good witch Glinda in the film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked. Grande will return for a sequel, Wicked: For Good, which comes out later this year to conclude the story of the green witch Elphaba (Erivo). The track teaser came days after Grande shared a video on her Instagram page with the caption 'brighter days ahead, the short film also coming 3.28'. The singer has had seven UK number one singles and five number one albums including Dangerous Woman, Sweetener and Thank U, Next. The former Nickelodeon star rose to fame after starring in the sitcom Victorious, which followed the lives of pupils at a performing arts school. She later released her debut album, Yours Truly, which kickstarted her music career.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ariana Grande teases new songs including a track named after popular London area
Ariana Grande has teased the release of six songs including a track that appears to reference an area in London. Posting on Instagram, the 31-year old US pop singer and Wicked star revealed a deluxe copy of her album, Eternal Sunshine, with the final track named as Hampstead. Grande also shared a video that revealed the six new song titles: Intro (End Of The World) Extended, Twilight Zone, Warm, Dandelion, Past Life and Hampstead – a possible nod to her time spent in the leafy north London area. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) The Instagram story was followed by a video of someone spinning in their kitchen with excitement for the extended album release alongside a countdown clock titled 'Eternal Sunshine Deluxe' suggesting the release date will be in less than 11 days. Earlier in the year, Grande suggested she was living in Hampstead while filming the musical Wicked at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire with fellow Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. She said: 'I miss it here so much. I loved it here so much. I loved living here. I was in Hampstead when I was here and I loved my walks in the heath. 'I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs. 'I didn't know what a Sunday roast was, but I know that that's a thing now. I didn't know what that was and now I do and I'm changed for the better. It's so delightful and fun there are so many dogs and (the dog breed) Vizslas in (Hampstead) Heath 'I loved seeing them.' The two-time Grammy winner is best known for her hit songs 7 Rings, Rain On Me and No Tears Left To Cry, along with her recent Oscar nomination for best supporting actress playing good witch Glinda in the film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked. Grande will return for a sequel, Wicked: For Good, which comes out later this year to conclude the story of the green witch Elphaba (Erivo). The track teaser came days after Grande shared a video on her Instagram page with the caption 'brighter days ahead, the short film also coming 3.28'. The singer has had seven UK number one singles and five number one albums including Dangerous Woman, Sweetener and Thank U, Next. The former Nickelodeon star rose to fame after starring in the sitcom Victorious, which followed the lives of pupils at a performing arts school. She later released her debut album, Yours Truly, which kickstarted her music career.
