President Trump turned his attention to the cinema industry on Friday with a social media post that, among other things, called for the adoption of “a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands” as a response to the “messaging and propaganda” reflected in the way “Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States.” [sic throughout] Over the weekend, actor Jon Voight and his producing partner Steven Paul met with Trump to pitch their plan to save the movie industry; this includes (but is not limited to) federal incentives to keep production and post-production in America; infrastructure subsidies for cinemas and production companies; and the adoption of tariffs in “certain limited circumstances.”
On Thursday, Cinema United President and CEO Micheal O’Leary issued the following statement:
“We are encouraged by recent efforts to bolster the American filmed entertainment industry, including proposals to assist the people who operate theatres in towns of all sizes across the country to create the great movie houses of the next generation. It is important to recognize that theatrical exhibition is not a Hollywood industry, but a Main Street industry, and proposals that support and promote the hard work being done by theatre owners will have a positive and meaningful impact in communities across this nation. We are committed to working with the administration, Congress and all interested parties who recognize and share the goal of ensuring that our local theatres retain both their economic and cultural significance, and we thank them for their leadership.”
Though the Motion Picture Association, the trade association representing studios in the U.S., has not released a statement at this time, CEO Charles Rivkin will hold a call with top studio executives on Friday to discuss next steps.
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