Technicolor invented colour film — then filed for bankruptcy twice

Technicolor was founded in 1893 as Thomson-Houston and became a global technology icon, inventing the colour film process that defined Hollywood cinema. The company rebranded as Technicolor in 2010 after years of decline. Its core problem was a failed transformation from a media technology company into a digital services provider — it spent years buying and selling divisions without ever finding a sustainable business model.

The 2008 financial crisis forced a "total financial restructuring" to avoid bankruptcy. The company sold its broadcast, transmission, and head-end divisions between 2010 and 2011. In December 2019, Technicolor and its former CEO were indicted in France on fraud charges related to the 2012 acquisition of Quinta Industries. The COVID-19 pandemic then triggered a Chapter 15 bankruptcy filing in June 2020.

Technicolor emerged from bankruptcy in 2021, spun off its creative studios in 2022, and rebranded the remaining business as Vantiva. But the restructuring did not fix the underlying problems — Vantiva announced further restructuring in February 2025 and closed multiple operations. The company that once defined cinema technology had spent two decades shrinking.