Technologies

Trump Calls for 100% Tariff on Foreign Movies, With Hollywood Seeking Answers

It’s not just hard goods like cars and smartphones. Tariffs could become a factor in the costs of making and watching movies.

Movies are a new focal point for the Trump administration’s campaign to impose tariffs across a wide range of industries, from tech to textiles and beyond.

In a Sunday night social media post, President Donald Trump said the US movie industry «is DYING a very fast death.» He wrote that he’s authorizing a 100% tariff «on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.»

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick quoted the president and responded, «We’re on it.»

Trump’s latest tariff call to action raised a host of questions without much direction on where the answers might lie. What criteria define how a movie is produced overseas? Would the tariffs affect only future releases or would they also apply to films already in the market, like the the wildly successful A Minecraft Movie, which was mostly shot in New Zealand? US film studios often shoot overseas with the help of incentives from countries. The tariffs almost certainly would affect foreign-made films such as the Oscar-winning animated film Flow from Latvia.

From the Los Angeles set of a Toyota commercial, director and Tulsa King actor James Quattrochi told CNET that his phone began to blow up last night on the Trump news. «Everyone’s calling me and I go, ‘I’m not the White House, why are you asking me?'»

As pointed out by The Hollywood Reporter and others, it’s unclear how streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu would be affected, such as the potential impact on subscriber fees and the kinds of content that those services offer. And what about TV shows? Among the top hits on Netflix alone are Squid Game, from South Korea, and The Crown, from the UK.

Trump contended in his social media post that foreign tax incentives for movie production amount to «a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,» which allows him to levy tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act. That claim would be open to legal challenge.

It’s also unclear if film tariffs would be considered legal in light of Section 1702 of the US Code, which explicitly prohibits a president from regulating imports and exports of films, publications and other media.

Filmmakers weigh in

The entertainment industry is grappling with what the tariff initiative, if implemented, could mean. In one estimate from The Wrap, an expert suggested it could cost Netflix $3 billion a year and cut 20% from its earnings.

Meanwhile, some independent filmmakers and workers noted that their industries have struggled to keep film productions in the US and that tariffs might spur reconsideration of film towns such as Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta.

Quattrochi, who is in three film-related unions, said it’s been difficult to push for incentives in California and to keep costs down.

«It’s just so expensive. And we’re fighting. … The UK, Ireland, Canada and other countries are really getting a lot of work,» he said. If tariffs against foreign film production do happen, he said, it could be enough to keep work in places like Hollywood. «People are complaining that there’s no work because everything’s leaving the country.»

Talk of a foreign movie tariff, he said, could raise awareness of the film industry’s struggle to keep it local. «Hopefully this open’s everybody’s eyes that the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles, is no longer. We need to do something.»

Filmmaker David Wortham Brooks owns a production company that Disney bought in 2019 and sold back to him in 2023. He said he’s still weighing the implications the potential tariffs will have on foreign films and licensing.

Brooks has worked on films in Morocco, Bangladesh and England, but has been based in Los Angeles primarily. As far as keeping shooting in the US, he says he favors Trump’s idea.

«Anything that could bring production back to LA, I’m all for it,» Brooks said. «The proposition of bringing it back to the states, particularly back to Hollywood, is very appealing to me. It has been slow; everything that can be done to mobilize the workforce, it is welcome in my book.»

Technologies

Live-Action ‘Call of Duty’ Movie Reportedly Being Co-Written by Taylor Sheridan

The Yellowstone co-creator will reportedly team up with Peter Berg on the Paramount film.

Yellowstone, Landman and, now, Call of Duty. Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of the aforementioned hit shows, will co-write Paramount and Activision’s upcoming live-action video game adaptation, according to a report from Variety on Thursday.

Peter Berg will also co-write and direct the movie, which was announced last month. Berg previously directed films including 2018’s Mile 22, 2012’s Battleship and 2013’s Lone Survivor, while Sheridan’s movie credits include 2016’s Hell or High Water and 2017’s Wind River. Berg, Sheridan and David Glasser will produce the Call of Duty film.

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Call of Duty is a first-person shooter military video game series that debuted in 2003. CNET senior writer David Lumb calls it «arguably the biggest shooter franchise in gaming, with millions of players picking up every year’s new entry to the series.»

Lumb said the franchise is known for its bombastic single-player campaigns, which feature globe-spanning plots that rival those of the Mission Impossible films. «A Call of Duty movie has a lot of material to draw from,» Lumb said.

He also noted that Berg’s direction of Lone Survivor would fit the grim military heroism of Call of Duty, while Taylor Sheridan’s spate of neo-Western films and shows could lend a frontier adventurism to the film.

«Their collective works seemingly harmonize with the jingoistic pro-military tune of Activision’s shooter franchise — which is probably a good thing for Call of Duty fans,» Lumb concluded.

A release announcing Paramount and Activision’s film deal teased that it’ll be «designed to thrill its massive global fan base by delivering on the hallmarks of what fans love about the iconic series, while boldly expanding the franchise to entirely new audiences.» It didn’t include cast or plot information.

The update follows recent news that Sheridan is leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal. Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

US Government Urges Total Ban of Our Most Popular Wi-Fi Router

Technologies

Animal Crossing Update Adds Lego Furniture, With a Switch 2 Version Arriving the Same Day

Fans of Animal Crossing will have a reason to go back to their island.

Animal Crossing fans just received a big surprise, and it’s not just a new content update. A Switch 2 version is on its way.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons will receive its first big update in three years, according to a post from Nintendo on Thursday. The update, labeled 3.0, will roll out on Jan. 15, the same day the Switch 2 version of the game will be available for purchase.

Released for the original Switch back in 2020, New Horizons was the first Animal Crossing game to come to a Nintendo console since 2008’s Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo regularly updated New Horizons for two years after its release, but stopped at update 2.0.6 released in November 2022. Two updates were added earlier in the year to prepare the game for playability on the Switch 2.

Animal Crossing 3.0 Update

In the 3.0 update coming on Jan. 15, a new hotel is opening. Players can help bring in guests to stay at the hotel by decorating guest rooms and dressing up mannequins to sell resort clothing.

For those who haven’t touched New Horizons in years, a Reset Service will be available. Players can have their island cleaned up, and items can be stored away or trashed for those who want a clean slate.

Players with a Nintendo Switch Online membership will have access to up to three islands, where they can explore and do as they please. These new areas are available on Slumber Island. It’s up to the player to decide how the island will look, what items or plants are on it and even which characters will be found on the island. Players can also invite friends to build it together.

New Horizons will feature special collaborations and Nintendo retro gear. Lego items will be available in the update for players to decorate their homes with or clothing to dress up their villagers with. Retro Nintendo consoles, such as the NES and Game Boy, can also be used as decorative items.

If the player has a Switch Online subscription, some classic titles such as Ice Climbers and Dr. Mario can be played via these in-game devices. There are also special items based on The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon series when players tap their amiibo from those games onto the Switch while playing.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch 2

Switch 2 owners can get in on the digital life game with Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Not only will this new version come with updated graphics, including 4K resolution in TV mode, but it will also add special features that can only be done on the newest console.

One of the features is mouse controls for the Joy-Con 2. Players will be able to use the controller as a mouse to decorate indoors, create custom designs and write handwritten messages for the bulletin board.

Residents in the game can now be found by saying their name into the Switch 2’s built-in microphone while using the megaphone in the game. Multiplayer has also improved dramatically, with 12-player sessions available for those playing on the new edition, and CameraPlay is supported to allow players to see one another.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch 2 will be available for purchase on Jan. 15 for $65. Owners of the original Switch version of New Horizons can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for $5.