@randahl The goose that laid the golden egg. Or was that soybeans?

@randahl
I guess torrent is about to see a second spring. Other than that this will be a big boost for non-American entertainment around the world. Lots of good shows from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Korea...

@randahl *sigh*

@randahl
Putin may be wanting a war with us but in reality Russians love us ;)

"As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Russia remains one of the most important markets for French films in the world. In 2023, the country was even the leading market for French productions, with 7.1 million admissions, or €21.7 million in revenue. In 2024, Russia has fallen back, but ranks second, behind Germany "
https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2025/04/26/en-russie-des-films-francais-toujours-en-haut-de-l-affiche_6600192_3246.html

@randahl
"The number of film shoots in Hollywood, the historic home of the American film industry, has reached an extremely low level. Many major productions prefer to set up abroad, particularly in Hungary, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, where they are attracted by significant tax breaks. In response to this desertion, Governor Newsom recently increased the tax credit established to encourage American productions to remain in Los Angeles."
https://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/2025-09-29/droits-de-douane/la-menace-de-trump-sur-les-films-produits-a-l-etranger-serait-difficilement-applicable.php

@randahl
We should be worried it the same statement came from Putin, not from Trump.

Trump is just using the film industry to attack Newsom (he's a Democrat).

And it's not that Americans are watching more "foreign films" than American films, it's that American film-makers moved abroad.

@randahl this will make it more expensive to consume the self-similar super-hero action movies like Spider-Man 38 in Europe I guess.
"Somebody Somewhere" may have been the last good show from HBO after their merger with WB, and I can't be bothered with most of the pablum. It was dead before Trump intervened

@randahl So the Oscars are cancelled?

@randahl I'm not sure whether those EU countries would act on those tariffs.

If I remember correctly, the "trade deal" between USA and EU states that the US still adds tariffs of about 15% but the EU puts 0% (!!) on US goods.

So no, neither the EU nor individual countries will do anything to avoid additional tariffs on current exports to the US.

I have no idea how big European film is in the US but I don't think it will be huge.

@randahl 🤣🤣🤣 oh man...

@randahl Okay, no problem. We'll just implement a Digital Services Profits Tax (not a tariff) that kicks in when an American company sells a digital service in our countries. We'll start at 50%. If Google wants to sell ads in the Uk, we'll happily take 50% of any profits the UK arm of Google AND the US arm of Google makes off those ads. No shifting profits to the US. If you sell the ad in the UK, you pay the tax in the UK.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

@randahl who's gonna tell him that babies shouldn't have candy, tho?

@randahl
Step 1:This president makes a wild tariff threat.
Step 2: The stock price of businesses targeted by the tariffs go down.
Step 3: His cronies buy the stocks at bargain prices.
Step 4: This president walks back his threat.
Step 5: The stocks rebound.
Step 6: His cronies have made money.

@randahl Image description:

@realDonaldTrump. September 29:
Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing "candy from a baby." California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States. … Make America Great Again. President DJT.

@randahl another step towards controlling what Americans will see and hear - like the new Tik Tok deal. The next thing will include censoring movies that don’t fit the MAGA world view and setting “guidelines” for American movie scripts.

I am worrying why there aren’t more reports of visible resistance - maybe the media control is already that strong.

@randahl stolen … lol …
I would rather say it was outsourced - like any other shit the american Bizmafia could get cheaper elsewhere. Like weird bibles, red basballcaps with strange words or other crappy merchjunk.

@randahl Bit ironic, since Hollywood more or less ripped off Nordisk Film back in the 1920s.

@randahl @obrhoff Since they‘re in a lockdown and the statistics bureau isn‘t considered a crucial governmental entity, thus nobody will work there, they will have no numbers for the time being.