There was Lumiere, there was Gaumont, there was Melies, there was Eclair, and...there was Pathé. They all tried their fortunes in America and Pathé was the only one who had any success and that success made them a major player in Hollywood for decades. 

The Pathé brothers founded their company in 1896 and in the early 1900s was the world's largest film equipment and movie production company. The Pathés created the newsreel genre and were major producers of phonograph records. 

In the 19 teens they came to American and became a major company opening a studio in Jersey City, New Jersey followed by a small plant in Edendale, CA.  Both studios were major producers of westerns under the leadership of James Young Deer, a native American actor and director.  In 1931 the movie production arm was absorbed by RKO and operating a large studio in Culver City.

Today they again are one of the largest film production and distribution companies in the world, own chains of theaters and several television networks.  The are the second oldest entertainment company in the world, behind Gaumont.