Rapper T.I.'s new film, Takers, was edged out of an opening-weekend debut atop its competition but still managed to make over $21 million in profits.
According to reports, the film ran neck-and-neck with horror film, The Last Exorcism.
Movie theaters were quiet over the weekend, with ticket sales for the Top 12 films down 11 percent compared with the same period last year. A PG-13 rating and a wide release helped push the horror movie “The Last Exorcism” (Lionsgate) to No. 1 with about $21.3 million in grosses, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles sales data. (Right, Ashley Bell, on bed and Caleb Landry Jones.) “Takers,” a moderately budgeted crime thriller from Sony Pictures Entertainment, was a close second with $21 million. (New York Times)
Tip’s film reportedly performed well in Eastern markets.
When box office returns started coming in Friday afternoon, the heist film “Takers” looked like the clear winner. But as the sun faded on the West Coast, the horror movie “The Last Exorcism” leaped into the lead, ultimately grossing $9.5 million for the day, compared with $7.5 million for “Takers.” The reason? “Takers,” with stars including Chris Brown, T.I. and Zoe Saldana, generated disproportionately high interest among African Americans and had strong performances in East Coast cities such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., with large black populations. (Los Angeles Times)
In the movie, T.I. plays the role of a villain.
T.I. is treacherous. He’s cold, he’s calculating and he’s out for millions. As the character Ghost in the upcoming film “Takers,” the beloved King of the South is all of the above, but he also sneaks in a few hysterical one-liners. It’s these multifaceted aspects that lured him to his role in the film. (IMDb)
While prepping the release of Takers, Tip recently talked about what acting lessons he learned alongside former “The Wire” actor Idris Elba.
And whilst working on the movie T.I. admits that he learnt a lot whilst working alongside The Wire actor Idris Elba. “Idris is a phenomenal talent, an outstanding man. I learned a lot from his methods of acting and we hit it off personally as well as professionally. “Everybody was humbled. Everybody was down to earth. I loved working with Idris as well as the rest of the crew.”Takers is released 17th September. (Female First)
Check out the film’s trailer below: