Beverly Hills Cop Movies Ranked. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F arrived on Netflix on July 3, 2024, and has a solid Rotten Tomatoes score compared to its predecessor. The fourth movie in the franchise took nearly thirty years to arrive.
The last film, 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III, was not well received by the audience and the critics. It grossed just over $42 million at the domestic box office against a $50 million budget. The film fared much better internationally, accumulating over $199 million at the worldwide box office.
Eddie Murphy first portrayed the cop with a swagger in 1984. The first film that saw hard-nosed Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) pursue a murder led to Beverly Hills grossed over $316 million worldwide against a budget of $15 Million. The original movie spurred the studios’ hunger for more. However, the sequels failed to echo the original film’s success, which is the highest-rated flick in the franchise.
The second installment hit theaters in 1987 and grossed over $276 million globally against a budget of $20 million. Despite its box office success, the film was slammed by both critics and audiences.
The third installment became the lowest-grossing film in the franchise, earning just over $119 Million worldwide. The movie’s poor reception was perhaps why it took thirty years for Beverly Hills Cop 4 to hit the screens.
However, the recently released fourth film has a solid 67% critic score and 79% audience rating, making it the second-highest-rated film in the franchise. We have ranked all Beverly Hills Cop films from worst to best per Rotten Tomatoes rating.
4. Beverly Hills Cop III, 1994
The third girl saw Foley reunite with Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) to solve his boss’ murder. The film was the worst-ranked movie in the franchise, acquiring 11% from critics and 35% from the audience. The poor reception was also reflected in the $119 million global box office earnings, the lowest in the franchise. Murphy attributed the poor reception to depicting a weak villain.
3. Beverly Hills Cop II, 1987
The second installment, which saw the hard-nosed Detroit cop return to Los Angeles to help solve another case, is the second-worst-rated movie in the franchise. It has a 46% critical score and a 58% audience rating.
2. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
The fourth movie in the franchise arrived on Netflix with a solid critic and audience reception. The film received 67% from critics and 75% from audiences. Murphy credits the success to including a strong villain, Kevin Bacon.
1. Beverly Hills Cop
The original film is the highest-rated movie in the franchise, with an 83% critic score and an 82% audience rating. It is also the highest-grossing movie in the franchise.
