Multiple movies, including Sonic 3 and Madame Web, are ineligible for Best Picture at the Oscars this year

Awards season is now in full swing as we lead up to the 2025 Academy Awards. This year, Oscar eligibility criteria means that 323 feature films are able to be nominated for the various categories, but more than a third of those are out of the running for Best Picture.

Confused? Well, the Academy has some pretty strict rules about what can and can’t be nominated in their most prestigious category. These include benchmarks for diversity and inclusion as well as detailed theatrical release quotas.

According to The Wrap, 36% of the films eligible for the Oscars, which makes up 116 feature films, are not allowed to be nominated for Best Picture. There are some pretty big omissions too, including some critically acclaimed movies like Andrea Arnold’s Bird, which stars Barry Keoghan, and Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour, which was released widely on Netflix.

Plenty of more commercial movies also didn’t make the cut, including Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Madame Web, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and the musical remake of Mean Girls. Boy Kills World, The Garfield Movie, The Girl with the Needle, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Mother’s Instinct are all also ineligible for Best Picture.

The 2025 Oscars are due to take place on Sunday, March 2 and the full list of nominees will be announced on January 17. The first major awards ceremony of the season has already taken place with the Golden Globes seeing Demi Moore, Sebastian Stan, and the movie Emilia Pérez win big.

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies to add to your calendar.

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