It's going to get big bucks regardless of how shitty the movie is, so they've stopped bothering to do it properly. The corners can be cut with zero consequence to the bottom line, so fuck it, cut every corner there is.
As long as people are going out to see these big budget movies, nothing is going to change. Sure, there will be the occasional oddball film a la Wes Anderson or another Tarantino film that will make a lot of money, but those are few and far between. It's all about the money and how to have the biggest profit margin.
The thing is, this movie looks fucking EXPENSIVE. So I don't know how much money they're actually making, as compared to say, Adam Sandler making shitty comedies with padded budgets. It doesn't strike me as a cynical cash grab, it strikes me as Peter Jackson liking action scenes and nobody questioning the guy who made the Lord of the Rings which made everyone a shitzillion dollars.
From the New York Times:
"...its budget — an estimated $400 million, including global marketing costs —...". So yes, this movie is fucking expensive, it will probably end up being one of the most expensive movies every made. It's also stated that the movie took in 84.1 million dollars in the United States alone during it's opening WEEKEND, and 223 million dollars worldwide.