(Yicai) April 11 -- China plans to scale back the number of American movie imports screened in the nation’s cinemas after US President Donald Trump’s slapped steep tariffs on Chinese imports.

US tariff hikes will inevitably further dampen Chinese audience sentiment toward American films, so out of respect for audience preferences the China Film Administration will moderately reduce the number of US films imported into the country, a spokesperson for the regulator said yesterday.

Hollywood films have seen declining box office returns and audience reception worldwide since 2019, with the trend particularly pronounced in the Chinese market, according to Sun Jiashan, associate researcher at a research body under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

China imported 42 Hollywood movies last year, up from just 25 in 2022 but down from a peak of 63 in 2018, according to data from Maoyan Entertainment. The country's box office topped CNY42.5 billion (USD6.6 billion), with domestic movies accounting for almost 80 percent, per the data, while the US box office was worth USD8.7 billion.

“China is the world's second-largest film market," the spokesperson noted. "We have always maintained a high level of openness and will continue to import outstanding international films to meet market demand.”

The CFA’s decision aligns with global movie industry trends and the practical transformation and upgrade needs of the domestic film industry, Sun added.

Chinese films have begun attracting bigger audiences, with animated fantasy flick Ne Zha 2 breaking numerous records after raking in more than CNY15.6 billion (USD2.4 billion) at the global box office this year, becoming the first movie to gross over USD1 billion in a single market, the highest-grossing animation, and the fifth highest-grossing film ever.

Editor: Martin Kadiev