Just as the film industry is getting back to its feet, it’s facing yet another potential setback: tariffs. President Donald Trump has been busy in his first hundred days back in office, but the bulk of his work has seen him cracking down on foreign imports and exports across the board. Now, he’s turning his gaze to movies, declaring his intentions to save the American film industry from “DYING a very fast death.” His grand plan includes a 100% tariff on films produced outside of the United States — which, ironically, could end up hurting Hollywood’s biggest movies.
It’s only been a few days since Trump unleashed his ire on Hollywood, so the specifics of his plan are still murky at best. There’s no telling if his mandate will focus only on films imported from countries like South Korea or India (countries whose films do great stateside), or U.S. productions that take tax incentives from foreign locales. Whether his administration can even enforce these kinds of limits on films at all remains an even bigger mystery. While Hollywood scrambles to decipher Trump’s latest threat, here are the American productions produced abroad that could be in jeopardy.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
It may take some time for Trump’s next wave of tariffs to come into effect, if they’re even possible to achieve. But in the event that the president does pull off his latest stunt, the next film in the Mission: Impossible saga could be his first casualty. The Final Reckoning was filmed all over the world, scooping up tax credits in the United Kingdom and other countries — including Norway, Malta, and South Africa — to alleviate its lofty budget. Its release date is fast approaching, so it may be too late to impose any limits on its premiere. But these tariffs could affect the film on the back end, either at the box office or in its home video sales.
Release date: May 23, 2025
Ballerina: From the World of John Wick
The latest addition to the John Wick saga, Ballerina, was shot primarily in the Czech Republic. It’s one of many Lionsgate films that hopscotch across the globe. The world of John Wick is set to expand with other spinoffs, namely one set to focus on Donnie Yen’s Caine. There’s no telling what difficulties the franchise could face down the line.
Release date: June 6, 2025
F1
Director Joseph Kosinski’s follow-up to Top Gun: Maverick is another globetrotting blockbuster. Apart from some locations in the United States and United Kingdom, F1 reportedly shot in Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Japan, and the Netherlands. It’s also a joint venture between a studio and streamer: Warner Bros. partnered with Apple Original films to produce the film, so both could be feeling the effects of Trump’s tariffs.
Release date: June 27, 2025
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
After Thunderbolts*, Marvel is enjoying the beginnings of a comeback at the box office. That’ll ideally continue with Fantastic Four: First Steps, the superhero team’s debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was produced primarily in London at the famous Pinewood Studios, where most of Disney’s big blockbusters are filmed, along with various other locations in England and Spain. Since its release date is only a few months away, it may manage to evade the tariffs, but only time will tell.
Release date: July 25, 2025
Wicked: For Good
London is a supremely popular filming location for most of the big studios. Universal’s Wicked duology was shot at Sky Studios Elstree in the United Kingdom, making it another potential casualty in Trump’s tariff wars.
Release date: Nov. 21, 2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron made New Zealand his permanent home when Trump was re-elected in 2024; it’s also where he’s been shooting the Avatar sequels for the past decade. The third film in the franchise, Fire and Ash, premieres this December, but Cameron has films planned through the year 2031. One of them may have to deal with Trump’s looming restrictions, whenever he finds the ideal path to “save” the American film industry.
Release date: Dec. 19, 2025
Avengers: Doomsday
The World Trade Organization has placed a moratorium on tariffs for digital goods until 2026, which means most movies and shows should be safe for the next few months. If Trump’s new plan does come to fruition, next year’s biggest films may face the brunt of it. Avengers: Doomsday is one of a handful of films Marvel has planned for 2026, and it recently began filming in London. There’s no telling what limits the film industry will be facing when Doomsday is set to premiere, but Marvel may be facing another hurdle as it works to wrap up the Multiverse Saga.
Release date: May 1, 2026
Masters of the Universe
He-Man, the ultimate ’80s action hero, will be reborn in 2026 — and potentially into a very unfamiliar world. Bumblebee director Travis Knight is helming Masters of the Universe for Amazon MGM, and like so many blockbusters on the horizon, it’s filming in London. Again, the rules are still murky for Trump’s tariffs, so something produced by an American streamer may fall into a gray area.
Release date: June 5, 2026
The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s next film is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Odyssey. It’s only fitting, then, that the director shoots in that part of the world. Production began in February 2025, with Nolan set to film in Greece, Morocco, Sicily, and the United Kingdom. The film may share a struggle with Matt Damon’s Odysseus, who faced countless hurdles in his quest to return home.
Release date: July 17, 2026
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
James Gunn’s DC Universe is starting off with a bang in 2025, with Superman paving the way for a handful of big blockbusters down the line. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one such blockbuster, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock. Like so many films on this list, it’s shooting in London, making the looming crackdown on “foreign” films even more difficult to parse out.
Release date: June 26, 2026
