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Peter Bart: ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Will Be Netflix’s Latest Triumph, And Contradiction

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F represents the triumphs and contradictions of the Netflix universe, Peter Bart writes.

I decided to drop by one pre-opening party this week to find Ted Sarandos, jaunty in sports jacket and jeans, cheerfully greeting guests at a screening of his company’s $150 million Eddie Murphy feature. A generation ago it was billed as a “high concept” project fostered in the Michael Eisner-Jeffrey Katzenberg era at Paramount – a challenge to conventional studio films. In restoring the grandiose century-old Egyptian, and the Paris in New York, Sarandos supports imposing locations for branding Netflix product, but also for reminding filmmakers of its sprawling ambitions.

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