This past weekend, Marvel celebrated the theatrical release of its superhero film “Thunderbolts*,” kicking off a strong lineup of summer releases. But movie honchos then received a shock: In a social media post from his Mar-a-Lago Club, President Donald Trump said he has a tariff plan to save Hollywood.
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” Trump said.
He’s right. Hollywood is still reeling from the pandemic era-shutdowns, when moviegoers were forced to opt into at-home streaming, and from a 2023 strike. But theaters are slowly clawing audiences back.
Plus, it’s expensive to make a movie in the U.S., especially when “other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away,” Trump said.
Trump directed the Department of Commerce and US. trade representative to impose a 100% tariff on all movies made abroad.
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” the president said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a response to the post on X, said, “We’re on it.” But he didn’t provide any details.
What does that mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which recently moved several movie productions fully or partially to the United Kingdom and other parts of the world?
Marvel’s recent productions in U.K., Asia and ... Utah?
London is a huge hub for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming slate of movies.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” releasing July 25, was mostly filmed in London. That’s also where actor Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will begin filming at the end of this summer, according to People magazine.
The forthcoming Marvel movies “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” slated for release in 2026 and 2027, respectively, are also being filmed in London.
“Thunderbolts*” might be the only exception to the recent outsourcing, although the film does star an English actress — Florence Pugh — as one of the leading superheroes.
The film’s director, Jake Schreier, told Time Out that “Thunderbolts*” was filmed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The film’s cast also did a two-week stint in Utah — Emery and Grand counties, to be specific — to capture distinctive desert textures and enjoy the big tax breaks the state has to offer.
“That’s really the beauty of having the resources of a Marvel movie,” the director said.
“You can build incredible CG worlds, or you can take those resources to go somewhere like this.”
The production crew set up on a mile-long stretch of road in 100-degree temperatures for a chase scene between the movie’s CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the Thunderbolts superheroes.
Other locations included Atlanta, Georgia, and New York.
Of course, Marvel isn’t the only cinematic empire that would bear the impact of the Trump-proposed tariffs.
According to Variety’s Monday report, all types of movies, from studio blockbuster hits to low-budget indies, are “currently being made in countries like the U.K., France, Germany, and Hungary.”
The U.S. runs a $15.3-billion trade surplus with its entertainment exports, as per the Motion Picture Association.
How Hollywood tariffs will work is unclear
On tariff policy, Trump has in recent days discouraged notions of his administration behaving in a “chaotic” way. He defended it as a certain flexibility to make deals that work for all parties.
In the Oval Office Monday, Trump said he will meet with Hollywood executives before making any final calls on the tariffs.
“We’re going to meet with the industry; I want to make sure they’re happy about it,” Trump said.
It’s also unclear how the tariffs will be levied on Hollywood, a service-based industry and not a tangible good.
“It’s insane,” a veteran U.K. producer told Deadline. “So U.S. companies can only make U.S. films? James Cameron can’t make Avatar overseas? Who pays the tariffs? Leading independent distributors would all be out of business if it’s them.” And what happens to streaming services that operate nationally and internationally?
After Trump took office earlier this year, he installed Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood.
Voight revealed Monday he met Trump over the weekend and shared his ideas for helping Hollywood.
“After meeting with many of the entertainment leaders, I have brought forward recommendations to the President for certain tax provisions that can help the industry,” he said in a video statement Monday.
“This would help the movie and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience,” he added.
His plan included federal tax credits, stackable with state incentives, and a 120% tariff on productions that could have been filmed in the U.S., as Deadline reported. He also suggested revising ownership structures between streamers and producers and creating an “AMERICAN ‘Cultural Test,’” a measure used in the United Kingdom and Canada.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared supportive of giving Hollywood an anchor but he steered the conversation away from tariffs and toward incentives. He called on the Trump White House to establish a $7.5 billion federal tax credit for the movie business.
“We’ve proven what strong state incentives can do. Now it’s time for a real federal partnership to Make America Film Again,” Newsom said in a post on X. “@POTUS, let’s get it done.”
California Rep. Laura Friedman, a Democrat, also encouraged Trump to institute “a national film credit that levels the playing field with overseas incentives,” as the Los Angeles Times reported.
On top of the pandemic and the lengthy writers strikes, Hollywood may have to weather another storm if Trump goes through with imposing these tariffs. Any changes to existing production plans would only cost more money and create delays.