In the escalating tariff war between USA and China, the latter has now announced that it would restrict the import of Hollywood movies from the United States of America (USA). For the last 30 years, China has imported 10 Hollywood movies per year. However on Thursday, April 10, Beijing's National Film Administration (NFA) stated that USA President Donald Trump's tariff actions, sours the domestic demand for US cinema in China.

"We will follow market rules, respect the audience's choices, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported," the NFA said on its website. Reacting to China's decision on Hollywood movies, Trump told the media, "I think I’ve heard of worse things".

Trump's nonchalance with respect to the curbing of Hollywood imports comes in lieu of the waning movie market in China. Industry experts note that the financial consequences for Hollywood will be minimal in the US-China tariff war, considering the box office returns American movies have seen from China in recent years. 

Even with Hollywood’s diminished state in China, the US film business currently awaits clarity on whether its biggest upcoming production—Disney and Marvel's Thunderbolts—will release in China this April 30, 2025. Before the US-China tariff war, China had committed to release 34 foreign films per year under revenue-sharing terms, with overseas studios permitted to a 25 percent share of ticket sales.

This means that if a ban on Hollywood imports comes into effect, movies from other countries stand a better chance of wide release in the Chinese market.