US-China Trade War: Hollywood Films Threatened with Restrictions in China

Hollywood Movies (Doc. Ist)

Secondupdate.com – Trade tensions between the United States and China are flaring up once again, and this time, Hollywood films are caught in the crossfire. The Chinese government has announced plans to reduce the number of American films shown in their theaters.

There’s even a possibility that all Hollywood movies could be banned entirely. This move is seen as retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump's high tariff policies. Interestingly, when asked for a comment on China’s response, Trump simply laughed.

“I think I’ve heard worse things,” Trump said with a chuckle, as quoted by Variety on Saturday (April 12).

For context, Trump recently raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 125 percent. In response, China imposed an 84 percent tariff on American products.

Amid this tit-for-tat tariff battle, China has decided to restrict the screening of Hollywood films in the country.

The Chinese government, through its Film Administration, stated that this move was made to “align with market preferences” and “respect the choices of local audiences.”

However, many view it as an indirect sanction against Hollywood in response to U.S. trade policies.

“The U.S. government’s wrongful action in misusing tariffs will certainly further reduce domestic support for American films,” read the official statement.

Interestingly, this announcement came just as the Minecraft movie was enjoying massive success in China. The film grossed USD 313 million (approximately IDR 5.2 trillion) during its global opening weekend.

Minecraft even outperformed the highly popular local film Ne Zha 2, which had previously raked in a total of USD 2.11 billion (around IDR 35.4 trillion).

Meanwhile, Hollywood is preparing to release several major summer blockbusters, such as Thunderbolts, Mission: Impossible, and a reboot of Superman.

But with China’s new policy, the release schedule for these films in Chinese theaters is now uncertain. Their premieres might be canceled or at least postponed.

Amidst the tension, IMAX theater operators are trying to remain calm. They expressed optimism that the IMAX cinema business in China will continue to perform well.