5. Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Beverly Hills Cop was a cinematic breakout for star Eddie Murphy, with the first film earning $316m against a $15 budget (and an 83% Tomatometer), while the sequel also did well, making $299 against a $20m budget (albeit with a much lower 46% Tomatometer). It was the third film that was released seven years later, then, that damaged the franchise seemingly beyond repair, as several attempts to wade through the mess left in its wake have proven fruitless, and to be honest, it sounds like nobody can be arsed after the calamity that was
Beverly Hills Cop III. The most glaring problem with the third film is that series regulars John Ashton, Ronny Cox and Paul Reiser did not return, nor did series producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. While Murphy is - moreover, was - a fine comic talent on his own merits, the film's screenplay tended more towards the silly and campy rather than the R-rated moxy that is better suited to his comic sensibility. Murphy's co-star, Bronson Pinchot, claimed that Murphy seemed depressed and had low spirits during filmmaking, despondent that he was no longer making many successful films. Murphy later would comment that the third film was "atrocious", and that he saw the character of Axel Foley as "banished" from Hollywood for some time, and true to Murphy's words, the film earned a Razzie nomination for director John Landis, and secondly, we haven't seen Axel Foley ever since. However, in recent years Murphy has teamed with Brett Ratner to try and get a fourth film kickstarted, with numerous scripts floating around, promoting an "edgier" take that would hew closer to the R-rated tone of the original film. However, recent interviews suggest that the film has stalled once again, and Murphy is now shopping around a TV show based on a premise following his son, with Axel appearing periodically in cameo form. We won't hold our breath. And if you've made your way through Beverly Hills Cop III, neither should you.