“Gotti” rolls to the end of its theater release today, ending its ignominious 28 day run with $4.3 million.

“Gotti” may linger, like a virus, but it’s basically over. Its only foreign release was in Hungary, where it made $57,000.

Of course, there could be a DVD release, maybe VOD, etc.

UPDATE: “Gotti,” with a ZERO rating on Rotten Tomatoes, appears to be playing in just one movie theater in the USA– in Staten Island, NY, home of the mob. How fitting.

But the upshot is that this is John Travolta’s lowest grossing movie in 20 years, of all his movies that were released to 500 or more theaters. Along the way there were a couple that went straight to video. But for a movie with 28 producer credits, this is a bomb.

Sources estimate that “Gotti” cost $10 million to make. Another $10 million was added for distribution and promotion. Beyond that, the losses are anyone’s guess. “Gotti” was feted with a big vanity opening in Cannes two months ago. Travolta doesn’t travel cheap. His expenses alone could be as big as the movie’s budget.

Cue the Lalo Schifrin theme music. “Mission Impossible” is back.

The name of the sixth installment, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, is “Fallout.” And so far the fallout is only good.

Early mentions (full reviews are still embargoed) on Twitter are better than excellent. Pretty much everyone in the press who saw the movie tonight or yesterday has raved about it. (I will see it next week, thanks to American Airlines screwing up my flight home from Detroit today.)

David Ehrlich from Indie Wire: “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT is easily the best action movie since Fury Road. just god-level stuff. the highest praise I can give a movie: I’m not even mad it’s making me late to Radiohead.”

Bilge Ebiri, Village Gloice: “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. This movie is sex.”

Mike Ryan of Uproxx: “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT is the rare true direct sequel in this series. And we learn the most about Ethan Hunt. It’s the SKYFALL of M:I movies. Also, yes, it’s insanely exhilarating.”

So it looks like Paramount has a big hit, which is nice because they had a bad, bad year last year and have been waiting for this. Also good for Tom Cruise who struck out with “The Mummy” and with “American Made,” and with the second “Jack Reacher” movie in 2016.

Cruise is now pretty much relying on the “Mission Impossible” franchise to keep him relevant. His only movies that make $100 million are the “MI” films. The rest are strike outs. Cruise has given up on getting awards. His next release will be the “Top Gun” sequel.

Stay tuned…

In his latest action film,  “Skyscraper,” mega star Dwayne Johnson, playing Will Ford, literally co stars with his every sturdy sidekick… duct tape. Ever resourceful Will often uses his co star throughout his perilous quest to save his family from the burning building called “The Pearl,” in Hong Kong. Coincidence or not,  the tape showcases hunky Dwayne taping his own deltoids.  The bar for Dwayne Johnson movies is pretty low artistically, but hey, what do the artistes know?

Savvy Dwayne,  currently one of the most popular and highest paid film stars, highly delivers in this cross between “Towering Inferno” and “Die Hard.”   Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the film completely panders to The Rock’s slavishly devoted escapism fan base. Will Ford is an ex marine and hostage negotiator who loses his leg in a hostage situation gone wrong. Then ten years or so later, after he started his own security firm where he works out of his garage, he brings his devoted family including his wife Sarah,  (Neve Campbell) a badass surgeon with two cute kids in tow to mysterious Hong Kong.

There a seedy jealous ex colleague of his seduces him to become  involved with the security of the building and its’ owner.  What Will quickly finds out is that there is  a nefarious side to it, hence the villain Botha ( an evil Roland Moller.)  Then the purposely-set fire and the all the thrilling antics that ensue. And yes, the prosthetic leg plays a role too. 

What’s so fun about this film is that the action is nonstop.  Fearless Will is never too injured or exhausted and has constant has life or death action sequences to perform.  There are some jaw dropping spectacular sequences indeed;  a crane scene as well as Will crawling on the side of the building and a scene where there are 317 projection panels that is fantastic.  The fight scenes are innovative and gritty as well.  Sure, there are tons of plot holes, but our fearless and heroic Will and family plow through them all. Exciting and explosive, “Skyscraper” is a fun popcorn turbo thrill ride worth taking. 

Universal’s “Skyscraper” opens on July 13th.

Good news, bad news for Steven Spielberg and his fans.

“Indiana Jones 5” won’t hit screens until July 2021. Yesterday came the announcement that “Indy 5” won’t start shooting until 2020. Harrison Ford will be 79 the week this film opens. There’s no word exactly on why the postponement from 2020, but at this rate you can guess that a new, younger Indy– and not Shia LaBeouf– will be at the center of the story.

Just to give some perspective: When Sean Connery played Indy’s dad in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” the James Bond actor was 59. Connery is now 88 years old. His character could easily have an ADULT grandson older  than Indy was in that movie.

Meantime with “Indy 5” waiting, Spielberg is moving ahead on his remake of “West Side Story.” The production has already had open casting calls all over the country. I’m told all systems are go. In all likelihood, stars will get the big roles, although there could be one or two unknowns who figure in the production. I don’t know why Spielberg wants to update this story, but again, as I’ve said before, it sure feels like Ansel Elgort, Selena Gomez, and Camila Cabello should be in  that movie. We’ll see…