Donald Trump's 100% tariff on imported films may lead to 'Hollywood moving outside US', says Shekhar Kapur

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has addressed US President Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs on films made outside the US.

Updated on: May 5, 2025, 11:57:03 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on films produced outside the country, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur criticised the move, saying it would be detrimental to American cinema. Shekhar, known in the West for his two Oscar-winning films on Queen Elizabeth I, said the move may lead to Hollywood mulling a move outside the US.

Shekhar Kapur has addressed Donald Trump's tariff on films.

Shekhar Kapur criticises Trump's tariffs

Taking to Twitter (now called X), the veteran Indian filmmaker wrote, "Over 75% of box office of Hollywood films come from outside the US. And significant part of the budget of those films are spent outside the US."

Talking about how the move may adversely affect American cinema, the filmmaker added, “President Trump’s imposition of 100% tarif on all films imported into the US may encourage Hollywood to move outside the US! Quite the opposite of what he intended.”

Trump announces tariffs on films

Donald Trump on Sunday announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the American movie industry was dying a "very fast death" due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers.

"This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda," Trump said on Truth Social. Trump said he was authorising the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all films produced abroad that are then sent into the United States. Neither Trump nor Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick provided any details on how the tariffs would be implemented.

It was unclear if the tariffs would apply to movies on streaming services as well as those shown in theatres, or if they would be calculated based on production costs or box office revenue. Hollywood executives were trying to sort out details on Sunday night. The Motion Picture Association, which represents the major studios, had no immediate comment.

About Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur made his directorial debut in Bollywood with Masoom before directing hits like Mr India and the critically-acclaimed Bandit Queen. He made a name for himself in Hollywood with the 1998 period film Elizabeth, its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and the war drama The Four Feathers.

(With Reuters inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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