NEW YORK • It is a hat-trick John Travolta would rather not have scored. His movie Gotti - in which he portrays New York City crime boss John Gotti - has earned a 0 per cent rating from critics on review website Rotten Tomatoes.

According to Wikipedia's monitoring of movies with such a disastrous ranking, Travolta's 1983 film, Staying Alive, and his 1993 movie, Look Who's Talking Now, also stank.

But audiences at least came to the rescue of Staying Alive, which went on to do well at the box office.

But Gotti looks dead on arrival, earning just US$1.67 million (S$2.3 million) from 503 screens over the weekend in North America.

Audiences were scared off by what they read, with New York Times' critic Glenn Kenny saying: "That the long-gestating crime drama Gotti is a dismal mess comes as no surprise.

"What does shock is just how multi-faceted a dismal mess it is."

Rolling Stone's reviewer wrote: "Starring in this mobster biopic that deserves to get whacked is an offer" Travolta, 64, should have refused.

The actor will also have to comfort his wife Kelly Preston, who is featured in Gotti in the role of his screen spouse Victoria.