> wonder why they didn't do the Hobbit as well

I have a theory. When Jackson made LotR, he was not a celebrity. I expect people on his staff would say "that's not going to work."

After LotR, Jackson was a god. Nobody on the Hobbit staff dared to say "no". For example, the Hobbit had numerous cliffhangers. Only one was necessary.

You can see the same thing in his King Kong remake. Nobody dared tell him to cut some of the redundant things.

The music on the Hobbit was pretty forgettable, too. I wonder what went wrong with that.