Actor and author Kirk Cameron suggested there are several avenues Hollywood can take to deal with the new tariff that President Donald Trump has placed on foreign-made films, suggesting there are “lots” of movies made within the United States.
Trump announced on Sunday that he would be implementing a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films, arguing there has been a “concerted effort” from other countries to draw filmmakers and film studios away from the U.S. In response, Cameron noted how Hollywood used to contribute to “the moral fabric of our nation,” but that many films are now failing financially.
“So, I think that Trump thinks so far out of the box compared to so many of the rest of us, and making more movies here in America, I think, is a great idea,” Cameron stated on Fox News’s America Reports. “And if ever we were to make a move like this, with artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery, you really don’t really have to go anywhere to make movies that take place in Rome or Dubai or Germany or anywhere like that. We’ve made lots of films here and television shows. This could impact the whole Hollywood industry. And there are so many talented, creative people here who are going to have more and more jobs. And so I continue to think this is a very exciting time to be an American, and a very exciting time to work in Hollywood.”
Cameron also contended that there is “wisdom” in looking at “the bigger picture” with Trump’s tariffs, and that people should approach these tariffs as a challenge to overcome and look toward reaping unexpected benefits in doing so. He added that he would like to see Hollywood return to an industry that “represents America for who she is.”
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It is unclear what specific impacts these tariffs will have on the film industry, though Trump did write “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN,” possibly indicating that movies would need to be filmed in the U.S. to avoid the tariffs. If this is the case, films like Avengers: Doomsday and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, both set to release in 2026, could be impacted by the tariffs, as the former began production in the United Kingdom in March and the latter is having part of it filmed in Sicily.
Data have also indicated that U.S. film productions are down significantly, as the number of U.S. productions in the second quarter of 2024, was down 40% compared to the same period in 2022. Globally, there was only a 20% decline over that period.
