The top grossing, and most entertaining, movie of the year was left off the list. Together, those nominated grossed 203 million domestically, ~130 million short of what Guardians of the Galaxy did alone.
The awards are not about cultural populism. It amazes me how every year some populist wonders “why didn’t the latest Pixar anime grossfest get nominated?” I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy, but it wasn’t Oscar-worthy. Neither were those awful Hobbit movies (all of them), which is why I was upset when the academy honored “Return of the King.”