Shares of media and entertainment companies declined on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies made outside the United States. The Nifty Media index fell over 1%, with seven of its 10 constituents trading in the red. Ranbir Kapoor-backed Prime Focus was the top loser, slipping 5% to hit the lower circuit at ₹175.94 on the NSE.
"Our movie-making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby’," Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. "To solve this long time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100 percent Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States," he added. The move is expected to impact the Indian film industry, which exports films in multiple languages to the U.S., where they enjoy significant popularity among the diaspora.
Ranbir Kapoor’s Investment in Prime Focus
In July, Ranbir Kapoor made a huge leap in his professional career by transitioning from Bollywood to Wall Street. The Animal actor invested ₹15 crore in Prime Focus, which owns the global VFX giant Double Negative (DNEG). This move led to a surge of over 90% in the company's stock.
Ranbir acquired 12.5 lakh shares of Prime Focus, which is also behind the visual effects of his upcoming movie Ramayana. Since April, Prime Focus stock has jumped from ₹85 to a record high of ₹175, driven by excitement around the film, especially after the release of its first glimpse on July 3, 2025.
Prime Focus is owned by producer Namit Malhotra, who is also backing Ramayana and serves as the CEO of its British-Indian subsidiary DNEG.
Other Significant Investments
Apart from Ranbir, other marquee investors have also taken significant stakes in Prime Focus. According to NSE data, Ramesh Damani purchased 8 lakh shares at ₹142.55 per share, while Utpal Sheth acquired 17.5 lakh shares at the same price. Funds under Madhusudan Kela’s Singularity AMC made large investments as well, with Singularity Large Value Fund II buying 18.5 lakh shares and Singularity Large Value Fund III purchasing 30 lakh shares, together cornering nearly 2% of the company.