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Hollywood Held Hostage: China’s Pettiest Power Play Yet

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Biden, China, Kevin Jackson

The following article, Hollywood Held Hostage: China’s Pettiest Power Play Yet, was first published on The Black Sphere.

When a superpower’s big retaliatory move is to block Hollywood films, you know they’re fresh out of real ammunition.

President Trump recently announced new tariffs on China—escalating the economic standoff. In response, the Chinese Communist Party, in an act of sheer petulance, has decided to limit American films entering their country.

Yes, you read that right. Films. That’s how the CCP plans to strike back.

And what was President Trump’s response? He laughed. Watch the moment here.

So did Wall Street. In fact, the market rallied Friday, as investors clearly understood the absurdity of China’s so-called punishment. They might as well have sent over a mean tweet.

Hollywood, however, wasn’t laughing.

These are the same “Hollyweirdos,” as I call them, who have spent the better part of the last decade licking the boots of Chinese censors, reshaping American movies to please communist overlords just so they could rake in foreign box office revenue. Now? They’re the ones holding the bag. As The Nation writes:

The two dynamics to keep in mind are that starting around 2008, the Chinese box office started to grow rapidly as the American box office started to falter. So ticket sales were rising in China while staying flat in the US, and it became very obvious that studios would need to target China especially as the movies they were making got more and more expensive: big superhero movies being the ultimate example of that. That was the economic rationale for rushing toward the Chinese market. However, the Chinese market isn’t like any other foreign film markets. It requires placating party censors who watch every movie and approve of its release. And so, the economic leverage that China amassed through its growing box office quickly translated into political leverage and made sure that studios who wanted to maintain that access to the Chinese market would have to play by their rules.

Almost laughably, China, increasingly unable to win at the economic level, resorts to hurting the one group in America that helped them gain influence in the first place—Hollywood. It’s like biting the hand of the people you fed for a decade.

Now, to be clear—I’m a filmmaker. I love the art. But let’s be honest: steel beats sequels.

If it comes down to building bridges and skyscrapers or churning out another CG-heavy franchise starring a self-righteous narcissist, the choice isn’t even close.

Let’s also remember how deeply one-sided our relationship with China has been.

The U.S. imports five times more from China than we export. They steal our intellectual property, limit access to their courts, and manipulate currency like a street hustler rigging three-card monte. Kevin O’Leary explains it perfectly here.

And yet, people still think we should treat China like a good-faith partner?

Here’s how childish their tariff tantrum really looks:

China said Friday it will raise duties on imports of US goods to 125%, compared with the 84% previously planned, effective Saturday. The move is in direct response to President Trump’s ballooning “reciprocal” tariffs on China, the commerce ministry said, but it also suggested it will “ignore” any retaliatory US hikes in duties.
— Yahoo Finance

Wait—raise duties to punish, but then say they’ll ignore ours in return? That’s not strategy. That’s bluffing from a weak hand and hoping nobody calls it.

What China’s really saying is: “Please don’t hurt us back. We’re already maxed out.”

Let’s not forget: Hollywood didn’t just chase China’s money—it bent the knee. Studios altered scripts, deleted scenes, and even cut gay characters or anti-authoritarian themes just to appease a regime that bans Winnie the Pooh memes. They sold their artistic souls to authoritarian approval boards. For what? A temporary windfall and a long-term leash?

This is poetic justice. The industry that cheered for Trump’s downfall now finds itself reliant on him to keep the global economy—and by extension, their fragile China box office—alive.

The Babylon Bee nailed it with the headline: “Democrats Worried Trump May Not Have China’s Best Interest at Heart.”

If China’s goal was to weaken Trump, they just strengthened his hand. His base doesn’t care about Hollywood. They’re not crying over fewer CGI explosions and self-righteous award speeches. In fact, fewer Chinese-funded movies means fewer American propaganda pieces dressed up as art.

And let’s not ignore how this all played out on Wall Street. The market surged. Investors saw China’s move and shrugged. The confidence in America’s economic position—even amid tariff wars—is telling. Trump has made it clear: we have the leverage.

I’ve dealt with China firsthand. As someone who’s done business there, I’ve seen their duplicity up close. They’ll smile during contract signings while plotting to undermine you later. They’ll copy your product, undercut your price, and deny you access to the legal system. It’s not capitalism—it’s a mafia state dressed up in Gucci.

So when I see China “blinking” by pulling American films as retaliation, I know what that really means: they’re scared.

And when a paper dragon shows its fear, the only thing left to do is what Trump did—have a laugh, clink a glass, and carry on winning.

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