The silver lining of President Donald Trump could be less superhero films

China might be about to curb US film imports

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With world morale at a decade low this week following the election of reality TV star Donald Trump as President of the United States of America, we could all use some sort of silver lining; even a rusty metal one would do.

The bad news for the film industry is that Trump’s jingoism could breed an anti-American feeling that affects overseas sales.

“A Trump presidency will likely lead to a more heated relationship with China,” Aynne Kokas, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, told Variety. “His rhetoric could generate anti-Americanism that could affect box office sales, new theme-park investments, and even the quota for film imports.”

China currently allows 34 imported films into its cinemas each year, but this figure is under review and set to be revised in 2017. Hollywood fears that Trump’s rhetoric could be used as justification for tightening the number of US movies it permits.

This would be bad for business, but, at the very least, good for originality in cinema.

Asian markets are the raison d'être for some superhero blockbusters, and if they become less lucrative, we could see studios rely on them less and return to making more of the mid-budget dramas that have all but disappeared.

If nothing else, the disastrous election should produce good art.

“The shittier things get, the more people need to numb themselves out,” Judd Apatow said last week. “We’re probably one of the few industries that doesn’t get hurt by this.”