The Oscars Disqualify ‘Bird,’ ‘Madame Web,’ and More for Best Picture in 2025

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This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is showing no mercy, having recently revealed that a significant number of 323 films in contention for Oscar nominations have been removed from the Best Picture category. Specifically, 116 films have been excluded. Over the course of 2024, enthusiasts had been compiling their own predictions for potential Best Picture nominees. However, the new rule set by The Academy could significantly reduce your list of possibilities.

Among the 116 films listed by The Academy, some highly anticipated ones, such as Ben Taylor’s emotional drama “Joy” about IVF discovery, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut “Woman of the Hour”, and the drama led by Barry Keoghan titled “Bird”, did not make the cut to qualify due to not meeting The Academy’s required criteria. According to the official statement:

For a film to be considered a feature film, it needs to be premiered at a commercial cinema theater in at least one of six major American cities: Los Angeles County, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Illinois, Miami, Florida, or Atlanta, Georgia, between January 1st, 2024, and December 31st, 2024. The film should run for a minimum of seven consecutive days in the same theater. Additionally, it must have a duration longer than 40 minutes.

Moreover, it’s worth mentioning that a number of the 116 movies barred from competition didn’t meet the Representation and Inclusion Standards (RAISE), a novel diversity criterion introduced by The Academy. This decision has also disqualified some popular films, which many viewers had surprisingly expected to be in the running for Best Picture. Notably, The Garfield Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are among those left out. Most notably, the film that seemed poised to dominate this year’s Oscars (though the sarcasm here is quite pronounced), Madame Web, has also been ruled ineligible for Best Picture consideration. You can find a complete list of the excluded titles at the end of this article.

Who Are the 2025 Best Picture Favorites?

Next year’s Academy Awards will happen on March 2nd at the Dolby Theater in Ovation Hollywood. Film enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the official nominee list. Nevertheless, there are already some standout contenders, particularly following last weekend’s Golden Globes ceremony. At the moment, Emilia Perez is considered the front-runner for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars. Furthermore, A24’s film The Brutalist has gained significant attention, especially since its lead actor, Adrien Brody, was awarded a Golden Globe for his role in the movie.

The films “Anora” by Sean Baker, “Conclave” by Edward Berger, “A Complete Unknown” by James Mangold, and “Nickel Boys” by RaMell Ross are strong possibilities for the Oscars. Sci-fi enthusiasts are eagerly waiting to see if Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” will be nominated for Best Picture, much like the original was in 2022 and won six awards. After Demi Moore’s win at the Golden Globes, “The Substance” from Mubi is gaining a lot of attention as a potential winner this year. If “Dune: Part Two” and “The Substance” aren’t nominated for Best Picture, they’re likely to receive multiple nominations in other categories. Other films being widely discussed as contenders for Best Picture include “Sing Sing”, “All We Imagine as Light”, “A Real Pain”, “Nosferatu”, “September 5”, “Babygirl”, and “Queer”. Some are also hopeful that “The Wild Robot” might be considered for both Best Animated Feature and Best Picture.

All Movies Excluded from Best Picture Category for the 2025 Oscars

AFRAID

AMERICAN CATS: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE CUDDLY

AMERICANS WITH NO ADDRESS

ARMAND

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE

THE BIBI FILES

BIRD

BOY KILLS WORLD

BRIEF TENDER LIGHT

CAPTAIN AVISPA

CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID

CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG

CHICKEN FOR LINDA!

CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT

THE COLORS WITHIN

COUP!

DAHOMEY

DAUGHTERS

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE

THE DEVIL’S BATH

DON’T SAY IT

ERNEST COLE LOST AND FOUND

EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA

FEDERER: TWELVE FINAL DAYS

THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED

FIGHTING SPIRIT: A COMBAT CHAPLAIN’S JOURNEY

FLIPSIDE

FOLLOWING HARRY

FOOD INC 2

FREE TIME

FRIDA

FROM EMBERS

THE GARFIELD MOVIE

GAUCHO GAUCHO

GHOST CAT ANZU

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS

GLITTER & DOOM

THE GRAB

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON

HIGH TIDE

HOLLYWOOD DEAL

HOMEGROWN

HUMMINGBIRDS

I AM CELINE DION

I CAN’T BREATHE

IN BETWEEN STARS AND SCARS: MASTERS OF CINEMA

IN HER PLACE

INDIGO GIRLS: IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL

INSIDE THE YELLOW COCCOON SHELL

JOY

KNOX GOES AWAY

LAKE GEORGE

LEFT BEHIND

THE LISTENER

THE LONG WAY OF CARLOS GUERRERO

LOOK BACK

LOST LADIES

THE LOST LEGACY OF TONY GAUDIO

LOVELY JACKSON

LOVER OF MEN, THE UNTOLD STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

MADAME WEB

MAHAYOGI

MARS EXPRESS

MARTHA

MEAN GIRLS

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME

MILESTONE

MISS OR MISSES

MOTHER’S INSTINCT

MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LKAHPA SHERPA

MURDERESS

NO RIGHT WAY

NURSE UNSEEN

OMNI LOOP

PEDRO PARAMO

REAGAN

REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER

THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN

REZ BALL

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS

SAMUEL: HOLLYWOOD VS. HOLLYWOOD

SEBASTIAN

SEPARATED

SHE TAUGHT LOVE

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF WINDS

SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY

SMILE 2

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2

SPELLBOUND

STATE ORGANS: UNMASKING TRANSPLANT ABUSE IN CHINA

STOP MOTION

SUMMER SOLSTICE

THE TASTE OF MANGO

THAT CHRISTMAS

THELMA THE UNICORN

THERE’S STILL TOMORROW

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

UNSTOPPABLE

UNSUNG HERO

VESEKLA: THE RAINBOW ON THE CORNER AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

VIGILANTES: AMERICAN’S NEW VOTE SUPPRESSION HITMEN

THE WAIT

WAVES

WE WILL DANCE AGAIN

WOMAN OF THE HOUR

THE ZEBRAS

ZURAWSKI V TEXAS

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2025-01-07 18:32