Group 1 - The Academy announced the list of 35 films eligible for the Best Animated Feature category, including "The King's Avatar 2" and "Zootopia 2," but notably excluded "Nezha: The Devil's Child," which set box office records for animated films [1][3] - "Nezha: The Devil's Child" met the eligibility criteria for the Oscars, including a runtime of over 40 minutes and a minimum of 75% animation, but the production company, Huayi Brothers, confirmed they did not submit the film for consideration [3] - Industry analysts suggest that "Nezha" may have faced scrutiny regarding its animation techniques, as some scenes reportedly used a combination of live-action and special effects, which could lead to its exclusion from the category [3] Group 2 - A total of 86 films are eligible for the Best International Feature category, with "Nanjing Photo Studio" representing mainland China in the competition [4] - "Nanjing Photo Studio" has achieved significant box office success, leading with 2.89 billion yuan in revenue and receiving high ratings on various platforms [7]

Core Insights - The 2025 North American summer box office has seen a significant decline in animated films compared to previous years, with no animated movies in the top ten box office rankings as of July 30 [1][4] - The highest-grossing animated film this summer, "Earth Agents," only earned $71.63 million, a stark contrast to last year's top animated film, "Inside Out 2," which grossed $650 million [4][6] - The overall quality and quantity of animated films this summer are notably lower, with major studios shifting focus to live-action adaptations, leading to a poor performance for original animated films [6] Industry Performance - The top box office performer this summer is the live-action adaptation of Disney's "Lilo & Stitch," which grossed $420 million, followed by the live-action "How to Train Your Dragon" at $250 million [1] - Other live-action films, including superhero titles and original movies, have also performed well, with several surpassing $100 million in box office revenue [1] - The animation industry is currently experiencing a "dry spell" for popular IPs, with major franchises like "Minions/Despicable Me" not releasing new content until 2026, contributing to the decline in animated film performance [6] Future Outlook - The upcoming release of DreamWorks Animation's "The Bad Guys 2" on August 1 may provide a potential boost for the animated film sector, as the first installment received positive reviews and box office success [6]

Group 1 - The film "Superman" has dominated the North American box office since its premiere, maintaining the top position with a weekend box office of approximately $57.25 million, despite a 54% drop from the previous weekend [1] - "Superman" has grossed around $235 million in North America and surpassed $400 million globally since its release on July 11 [1] - The overall North American weekend box office for July 18-20 was approximately $131 million, a decrease of about 30% compared to the previous weekend, but has remained above $100 million for ten consecutive reporting periods [1] Group 2 - The horror film "I Know What You Did Last Summer" debuted with approximately $13 million, ranking third in the weekend box office, but received poor reviews with an IMDb score of 5.7 and a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 38% [2] - The animated film "Smurfs" opened with about $11 million, placing fourth, and also received unfavorable reviews, with an IMDb score of 4.4 and a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 21% [2] - The western comedy-drama "Eddington" debuted with approximately $4.26 million, ranking seventh, and received a better reception with an IMDb score of 7.0 and a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 67% [2] Group 3 - The animated film "How to Train Your Dragon" dropped to sixth place with a weekend box office of about $5.35 million, having grossed approximately $251 million in North America and $581 million globally [3] - Upcoming releases include "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" and "House on Eden," set to premiere on July 25 [3]