UPDATE: Well, it seems that Takers ended up taking the top spot away from The Last Exorcism. EW says that after the final box-office numbers were released, T.I.’s caper flick earned $20.5 million over the weekend whereas Exorcism made $20.4 million. A slim victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Does T.I. have what it takes to become the next rapper to successfully move into the world of film? Based on the performance of his latest film Takers, he just might.

Takers, a heist thriller starring T.I., Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, and Zoë Saldaña, placed second in the weekend box-office race, earning an estimated $21 million over the three-day period. The film wasn’t expected do that much business, and lost the top spot to horror film The Last Exorcism by a razor-thin margin of $300,000. Make no mistake—Takers‘s weekend performance is quite impressive.

What makes the success of Takers even more noteworthy, however, is that T.I. not only stars in the film but serves as one of its producers as well. It’s the first film project to come from his Grand Hustle Entertainment, which has secured a 3-picture deal with Sony. (Takers was also co-produced by Rainforest Films.) T.I. was heavily involved in promoting the film, and went on a 10-city, 20-day tour prior to its release. According to Deadline Hollywood, film distributor Screen Gems told T.I. they were “market[ing] this movie on [his] back.”

This leads one to wonder what’s next for Tip. Prior to Takers, he shared screen time with Denzel Washington in American Gangster and co-starred in the Will Smith-produced ATL alongside Lauren London and Big Boi. In an interview with College Times, T.I. spoke about his experiences on these films and how they inspired him:

My first film, ATL, was produced by Will Smith, and I got to really learn the ropes from the biggest box office movie star in the world. And the lessons I learned there, I took with me to the set of American Gangster, where I got to share the screen and pick the brain of and soak up game from, arguably one of the greatest Black actors ever, in Denzel Washington. The pieces of advice that they gave me, I’ve built into my approach to film. I’m using every opportunity I can, because obviously, I’m trying to get to where they are.

He goes on to state that while he still loves music, he feels the game is over-saturated and he’d eventually like to transition into acting full-time and hopes to win an Academy Award by the age of 40.

I think if he continues to make smart decisions and choose the right projects, T.I. has the potential to not only show off his acting chops but establish himself as Hollywood’s next mogul. I know one thing—I would love to see him co-star with Meryl Streep in Black Sabbath.