China has banned Hollywood movies in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs and it could be catastrophic for the US.
The president’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs haven’t exactly gone down well across the world, with some countries hitting back, including China.
Trump announced that there would be a 104% duty on Chinese goods coming into the country from April 9 2025, after saying he would put an additional 50% tax on the initially proposed 54% tariffs.
Foreign affairs spokesman Lin Kian shared that: “Pressure and threats are not the way to deal with China. China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
While China is currently considering what tariffs they could implement of their own, they are also considering restricting or putting a ban on the volume of Hollywood made movies shown in the country.
Two bloggers with close ties to local authorities have shared a list of restrictions that may be introduced, including ‘reducing or banning the important of US films’.
This would mean a massive loss for the US film industry, if unable to sell in China, that’s a potential market loss of over a billion people.
This is also true for blockbuster hits or franchises, such as Star Wars, Marvel, DC etc.
Americans have been discussing the issue on Twitter, with one person writing; “The Chinese box office is the world’s second-largest. For studios like Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros, that market is gold.”
Another agreed; “hey so this would be financially catastrophic for the film industry.”
While another published: “People rly don’t get how much American companies rely on China as a market to sell to.”
“Big move if true. This could seriously impact Hollywood’s box office revenue, especially with how much studios rely on the Chinese market.” said another.
However, some believe that this could actually be a positive move as it would mean the film industry would have to cater more to US audiences.
This would also mean studious wouldn’t be able to rely on huge celeb names or the same level of special effects.
