There's critics and there's boxoffice

And then, notes the Daily Mail, there is the Academy;

TOP 8 BOX OFFICE HITS OF 2014 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy ($332.8m)
2. Hunger Games: Mockingjay ($306.7m)
3. Captain America ($259.8m)
4. The LEGO Movie ($257.8m)
5. Transformers($245.4m)
6. Maleficent ($241.4m)
7. X-Men Days Of Future Past ($233.9m)
8. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes ($208m)

None of which got nominated for Best Picture. The winner, Birdman, grossed ($36 million) about one-tenth of Guardians of the Galaxy. The top grossing film among the nominees for Best Picture was Clint Eastwood's American Sniper at $312 million (released in 2015)--which was more than the other seven nominees combined. It garnered one Oscar, for sound editing.