The Hobbit vs The Lord of the Rings
1. Sequel Set-Up
There can be no contest for this entry. Both An Unexpected Journey and The Fellowship of the Ring ended with enough climactic entertainment for the audience to be foaming at the mouth at the thought of a sequel.
Whereas The Fellowship of the Ring opted to divide the party into three separate factions, An Unexpected Journey closed with the Lonely Mountain in site. Though a few criticised both films for their elongated run-time - both falling marginally short of the three hour mark - there were many who were itching for the adventure to continue.
However, as was the case with the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, the sight of the credits in An Unexpected Journey proved a bitter pill for the audience to swallow - it indicated that the unavoidable 12 month wait for another helping of all things Middle Earth had finally begun.
Winner - Tie
Overall
An Unexpected Journey - 5
The Fellowship of the Ring - 7