The Muppets film, "Muppets from Space", released by Columbia Pictures in 1999. In 2000, Henson was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million. However, EM.TV was plagued with financial problems and the Henson family re-acquired the company in 2003, with the exception of the rights to the "Sesame Street" characters, which had been sold by EM.TV to Sesame Workshop. Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from the Jim Henson Company for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of the Muppets and "Bear in the Big Blue House" properties, as well as
The Muppets (film) the first film in the series to gross over $100 million worldwide (unadjusted for inflation). On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 95% based on 216 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Clever, charming, and heartfelt, "The Muppets" is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will both win new fans and delight longtime devotees." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." CinemaScore audiences gave "The Muppets" an "A" grade rating on an A+ to