So, like, President Trump is out here telling people to buy fewer Barbie dolls. And get this, the Xbox Series X is now $100 more expensive than it was a month ago. And now, even anime is getting caught up in the administration’s ongoing trade war. Trump went on social media, like he always does, and threatened 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made movies like Avengers: Doomsday and Chainsaw Man. The reactions were pretty standard – “What the heck?!” and “Oh no.”
According to Trump, the movie industry in America is DYING a very fast death. He’s blaming other countries for luring productions to film overseas with financial incentives, calling it a national security threat. “Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands,” he wrote. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Not really sure why this matters, but okay.
But like, how would that even work? Imports are usually taxed at ports based on the goods’ prices, right? How does that apply to movies at the box office or on streaming platforms? Nobody seems quite sure, and like lots of half-cocked plans fired off on social media, this could be another Trump nothing burger. Actual businesses don’t have the luxury of gambling like that, though.
Hollywood execs were apparently scrambling last night to figure out what the hell was going on. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and other entertainment companies saw their stock prices go down on Monday. The policy as outlined would also hit anime. This year sees the releases of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc in theaters, as well as re-releases of several older movies like Spirited Away. “Japanese films, such as those by Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, are also popular in the U.S. If Trump imposes film tariffs, it will limit Americans’ opportunities to see these foreign films,” one Japanese media outlet reported today. Not really sure how this will all play out, but it seems like a mess.
It’s unclear how this would impact shows and feature-length content on streaming services like Crunchyroll, but they would seemingly also be tariffed in some way unless Trump backtracks. One irony here is that a very vocal contingent of Trump’s online support comes from self-professed anime fans. We’ll have to see how they react to this latest betrayal. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they won’t be too happy about it.
So, in conclusion, things are getting pretty wild in the world of movies and anime with Trump throwing around tariffs left and right. Who knows what will happen next? But one thing’s for sure – it’s definitely causing a stir in the entertainment industry.
