Two of France's leading motion picture companies, Gaumont and Pathé, announced Thursday that they will combine their movie theater chains into a new company called EuroPalaces. Under the agreement, Pathé, run by Jerome Seydoux, will hold a 66-percent stake in the new company, while Gaumont, run by Jerome's brother, Nicolas, will own the remainder. The merged companies will control about 25 percent of the French exhibition market. Some analysts viewed the deal as a prelude to a complete merger of the two companies.

Source: Studio Briefing