Pathé

Pathé SAS (French: [pate] ; stylized as PATHÉ! since 1999) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. Pathé is also the second-oldest operating film company, behind Gaumont, which was established in 1895. It is the name of a network of French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment and production company, as well as a major producer of phonograph records. In 1908, Pathé invented the newsreel that was shown in cinemas before a feature film. Since Gaumont studio sold its cinemas to Pathé in 2017, Pathé Cinéma has become the oldest cinema circuit in the world still active and is currently the biggest circuit in France and the Netherlands. Pathé is also still one of the biggest production companies in France and Europe today, regularly producing films with budgets around $50 million. For example, in 2024, the historic group has released the successful The Count of Monte Cristo.