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With high-profile releases likeand, the month of August should be a solid end to a record-breaking Summer at the domestic box office. Still, don't expect August to set its own record: the current champ is August 2007 with $920.5 million, and the upcoming lineup probably isn't strong enough to match that.Typically, the biggest August releases are scheduled towards the beginning of the month; this year is no exception, asandboth seem poised to do good business.Action comedystars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg , and their interplay has unsurprisingly been a big part of the movie's marketing campaign. Both stars have a solid fanbase, though Washington in particular has a very consistent box office track record. While it is his most comedic turn in a while, Washington's role instill seems to align with the anti-hero persona that helpedandeach earn over $125 million. Whileisn't guaranteed to get to the same level, strong support from Wahlberg makesa lock for grosses close to $100 million.The firstmovie opened around the same time in 2011 and earned $142.6 million, though it's likely thatfalls short of that figure. That movie is widely reviled by most adult audience members; while that doesn't seem like it should matter for a children's movie, it's important to remember that parents are the ones who ultimately make the buying decision. Those same parents have already shelled out a lot of cash this Summer. Whenopens, audiences will have already spent $733 million on animated movies this Summer, which is an extremely high figure. None of these issues really matter, though: this should be able to match its predecessor's massive $420 million foreign total, andis already on the 2015 schedule.The second weekend of August is one of the busier ones this Summer, with four new nationwide releases battling for attention. The front-runner is, which is director Neill Blomkamp 's follow-up to critical and commercial hit($115.6 million). It also stars Matt Damon , who is the same butt-kicking mode that helped make hismovies such a hit. Unfortunately, with a shaved head and a mechanical exoskeleton, Damon is largely unrecognizable; additionally, audiences have repeatedly shown a lack of interest in dystopian sci-fi this year (couldn't even get to $90 million). Iffalls short of $100 million, it could mean trouble for Sony, which has already had a few expensive disappointments so far this Summer.Opening on Wednesday, road trip comedystars Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis as part of a fake family that's attempting to bring a massive drug shipment north of the border. Aniston and Sudeikis previously starred together in ensemble comedy, which was a major hit in Summer 2011 with $117.5 million. Whilehas an amusing-enough premise, it would be shocking if it got close to that level. Audiences have already spent over $350 million on R-rated comedies this Summer, andcould get cannibalized by, which has comedic elements and the exact same U.S./Mexico border setting.This weekend also has two new options for family audiences who, as previously mentioned, have already spent a ton of money at the box office this Summer., which takes place "above the world of," was supposed to go direct-to-video, but Disney ultimately decided it was strong enough for a theatrical release. And while the movie does have a lot of appeal, it's opening at a very tough time. There's no precedent for animated movies doing good business in August, and family audiences have already been sucked dry this Summer. For what it's worth, though, Disney is bullish on the movie's prospects: they've already scheduled sequelfor July 2014.Finally,opens this weekend. The first movie earned $88.8 million in early 2010, though that was on a major marketing campaign that positioned the movie as a new(director Chris Columbus also worked on the first twomovies). Over three years later, the sequel is finally arriving with considerably less fanfare; with the addition of 3D, it's likely that the decision to move forward with this project was driven primarily by overseas potential. The last movie earned over $137 million from foreign markets, and it's fair to expectto at least match that.With all the major releases out of the way already, the August box office should quiet down significantly beginning on the weekend of August 16th. Four new nationwide releases are set to duke it out, though it would be surprising if any of them open above $20 million.arrives over three years after the first movie rode a ton of hype to a decent $48.1 million total. Supposedly, that movie gained a huge following in the post-theatrical arena, which made this installment financially viable. It's hard to quantify that, though, and most other signs suggests thatwon't out-earn its predecessor: the new movie seems to lack the sharp visuals and action of the first, and the real-life teenage superhero gimmick doesn't feel as fresh this time around either. It's entirely possible thatmatches the first movie's gross, though anything higher would be very surprising.Historical drama—or, to be precise—also opens this weekend, and appears to have the highest upside potential. It's opening at the same time as, which also dealt with the 20th century African-American experience in the U.S.also has a very impressive cast, including Oprah in her first live-action big-screen role in 15 years. Still, with the exception of last year's, political dramas rarely attract much attention, and it's unlikely that's well-publicized title fight will actually translate in to ticket sales. Ultimately, this movie's success of failure could depend on whether or not it's actually any good, which is a crap-shoot when it comes to director Lee Daniels Corporate thrillerhas a solid cast— Liam Hemsworth Harrison Ford , and Gary Oldman —but seems minor enough that it will likely get lost in the shuffle in August. To combat that, distributor Relativity Media has recently begun an eye-grabbing outdoor campaign that suggests the movie is about a Big Brother state (likely a piggyback on recent privacy concerns raised by the Edward Snowden NSA leak controversy). That messaging doesn't seem to align with the corporate espionage elements of the movie, though, and is unlikely to move the needle in a significant way. Ultimately,brings to mind last August's; similar to Liam Hemsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a solid following, but was only able to get the modest thriller to $20.3 million.The weekend's final release is, a biopic which stars Ashton Kutcher as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. With its story about the founding of an influential tech company,is clearly inspired by the success of; unfortunately, word out of its Sundance premiere was not very good. Add in the fact that dramatic roles aren't in Kutcher's wheelhouse, and it's tough to imagine this doing much business.Box Office Mojo