Overview of The Town
This episode centers on a major shift in Hollywood policy: Donald Trump publicly backing a federal production incentive for movies and TV made in America. Host Matt Belloni speaks with Tony Armour and Katie Pryor of Film USA about how the lobbying push came together, what a national incentive could look like, and why the industry sees it as a way to make U.S. production globally competitive again. The episode closes with a “Call Sheet” segment on the weak Labor Day box office and a Mark Wahlberg-led theatrical release, By Any Means.
The Big News: A Federal Film Incentive Suddenly Looks Real
- For years, the industry has wanted a federal tax incentive to keep productions from leaving the U.S.
- On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social urging Congress to approve a federal production incentive to create entertainment jobs in America.
- The endorsement matters because it gives Republican lawmakers political cover to support the bill.
- The proposed legislation is referred to as the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act.
How the Lobbying Push Came Together
- Film USA leaders Tony Armour and Katie Pryor say this was the result of more than a year of behind-the-scenes coalition work.
- Key players included:
- John Voight and the other Trump-appointed Hollywood ambassadors
- The MPA/MPAA
- Unions and guilds, including major industry groups like SAG-AFTRA and IATSE
- State film commissioners across the country
- The goal was to persuade the White House that the issue is national economic policy, not just a “Hollywood” subsidy.
- Trump’s post is framed as the result of Voight bringing the case directly to him and steering attention away from the earlier tariff talk.
What the Bill May Include
Expected Structure
- The most likely model is a transferable federal tax credit, similar to state-level film incentives.
- Early indications point to a 20% stackable incentive on labor, with possible additional uplifts for certain types of productions.
What “Stackable” Means
- The federal incentive would layer on top of existing state programs.
- States could still compete with one another, but the federal floor would make the U.S. more competitive against countries like:
- Canada
- the UK
- Bulgaria
- other countries with aggressive national incentives
What It Probably Won’t Include
- The guests do not expect retroactive deductions or backdated relief.
- A separate older tax concept, Section 181, was discussed, but they suggest the new proposal is more like a true film incentive rather than a tax-code patch.
Why Supporters Say It Matters
- Advocates argue the industry is now a 50-state business, not just a California one.
- They say the incentive would:
- Bring back jobs lost to foreign production hubs
- Help crew members work closer to home
- Support both big studio films and independent productions
- Benefit states like Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Montana, and others
- The message is that this is a jobs bill, not a “save Hollywood” bill.
- A key strategic point: avoid framing it as a Los Angeles-only or liberal-elite bailout, because that could sink support.
Political and Practical Questions Still Unanswered
- Who will sponsor the bill in Congress is still unclear.
- There is bipartisan receptiveness, but the coalition expects the bill’s exact contours to matter a lot.
- Remaining open questions include:
- Who administers the program?
- How productions will access it
- What state responses will look like
- Whether states will adjust or expand their own incentives in response
- Film USA sees itself as an important part of implementation, not just lobbying, because the program will need sustainable rules and infrastructure.
What Happens Next
- The coalition is already running a letter-writing campaign and organizing signatures in multiple states.
- They want crew members, commissioners, unions, and local stakeholders to pressure federal lawmakers.
- Their hope is for:
- Passage by the end of the year
- A possible January 1 start date if the timeline moves quickly
- The episode presents the Trump post as a major breakthrough, but not the finish line.
Call Sheet: Labor Day Box Office and Mark Wahlberg’s By Any Means
- In the second segment, the hosts discuss how Labor Day remains a weak box-office weekend.
- They focus on Paramount’s By Any Means, a Mark Wahlberg thriller that tracking suggests may open around $7–8 million over the four-day frame.
- Their broader point:
- Wahlberg has spent years making streaming-first movies for dad audiences
- That strategy has weakened his theatrical pull
- Now studios are trying to bring those stars back to theaters, with mixed results
Producer Credit Curiosity
- The film has an unusually large number of credits:
- 38 executive producers
- 7 PGA producers
- They note this as a sign of a financing patchwork and suggest doing a future deep dive on how EP credits accumulate on modern films.
Main Takeaways
- Trump’s endorsement gives the long-sought federal film incentive real momentum.
- The likely model is a stackable, transferable tax credit that would complement state programs.
- Supporters are trying to reframe the issue as national jobs and economic development, not Hollywood favoritism.
- Major unresolved questions remain about the bill’s sponsor, final design, and administration.
- The episode also highlights continuing struggles at the box office and the changing theatrical value of big-name stars.