Anime’s Theatrical Future in US Threatened by Trump Tariffs

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Over the weekend, President Donald Trump proposed implementing a 100% tariff on foreign-produced films, which could potentially hinder anime’s expansion in U.S. cinemas. With anime’s growing popularity over recent years, this move might pose a problem for its continued success in American theaters. Notably, the immense popularity of movies like “Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train” in 2020 has fueled the demand for anime licensing to unprecedented levels. This surge was particularly significant during the early stages of the COVID pandemic and has persisted since then.

The popularity of anime feature films has skyrocketed so much that we’re seeing more of them hitting theaters than ever before, and they’re being released at an unprecedented pace. Gone are the long waits of over a year for these films to be available on home media, and scarcely-held screenings are becoming rarer too. However, if the proposed tariff plan is implemented in the U.S., it could potentially cause these strides forward to take a significant leap back.

What Does Trump’s Tariff Plan Mean for Anime Movies?

According to Trump’s recent post on social media, there’s a proposal to impose a full tax on movies made overseas. The aim is to boost domestic movie production. However, details about how this would be carried out are still vague, and it’s uncertain which aspects of the film’s creation would be subjected to the tariff. For now, it appears that any part of the production happening outside of the U.S. is targeted, even anime feature films created entirely in Japan.

If film tariffs function similarly to regular import tariffs in the U.S., it could lead to anime films costing twice as much to license and distribute compared to their previous costs. Consequently, this could make it less appealing for some films to be screened in U.S. theaters at all, except perhaps for established franchises like “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”. Under these circumstances, those affected by the tariffs might find it wiser to exercise greater caution and selectiveness when deciding which films to release.

The outcome also relies on who experiences the greatest effects from the tariffs, as this may influence which anime movies can potentially air in the United States. The scale of these tariffs has escalated so much that even companies like GKIDS are showing early episodes of TV anime releases in theaters to mark their upcoming premieres. However, if such screenings are affected by tariffs, they might cease to exist. Additionally, it’s worth noting that GKIDS could also face adverse consequences due to these tariffs.

What Does This Mean for Studio Ghibli and Godzilla Films?

Based on their production methods, it’s likely that anime films will become more expensive to distribute in the U.S., reducing the likelihood of smaller movies getting widespread theater screenings. This applies even to new releases from renowned studios like Studio Ghibli and Studio Chizu (where Mamoru Hosoda has a new film coming out this year). Given that these films already rely on fan support, their increased difficulty in distribution could mean that U.S. fans won’t be able to watch them until they are released on home media.

If these new tariffs don’t exempt home media releases, they could potentially increase costs for such content from outside the U.S., affecting everything from production to distribution. This might mean higher prices for consumers who buy or rent these movies at home. Streaming services may still be an option, but it typically takes a significant amount of time after a film’s theater release in countries like Japan before it becomes available for streaming. As such, we could see a return to the pre-2020s model where only a small number of these films made it to theaters.

In the early 2020s, the popularity of anime in the U.S., as seen with hits like “Godzilla Minus One” and re-releases from Studio Ghibli such as the IMAX version of “Princess Mononoke,” could potentially take a significant step backward if tariffs are imposed on foreign movie production. This might lead to a substantial shift in how these movies are distributed in the U.S. altogether.

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2025-05-06 00:10