T.I. Speaks on “Takers” Being Number One at Box Office

The numbers are in, and Takers took the cake at the box office this weekend. The action flick, which stars T.I., Chris Brown, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Hayden Christensen, and Matt Dillion, barely edged Last Exorcism for the number one slot. Earlier today (August 30), XXLMag.com caught up with Tip, who was headed to Los Angeles to celebrate the success of the flick.

“I am now the star and producer of the number one film in the country,” said the Atlanta native with an audible glow. “We were fortunate enough—due to the support of the fans showing up and showing out at the theaters, selling out show after show after show—we were fortunate enough to wind up at the top of the pile for this week.”

The July/August XXL cover subject added that he saw this movie in Atlanta and Michigan over the weekend, after having already caught it in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York for premiers and screenings. And he made sure whomever he was sharing the theater with was gonna have a good time, as well. “Not only did I go out and support it and took my family, but I bought tickets for people who could not afford them. And I bought popcorn and sodas, I signed autographs in Atlanta and Michigan and wherever.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Takers ($20.5 million) beat out Last Exorcism ($20.4 million) by roughly $150,000—a negligible amount at the box office. For that reason, it was unclear until this afternoon which ended up coming out on top.

T.I.’s King Uncaged was recently pushed back but is still slated for a late 2010 release. —Adam Fleischer