LOTR existed (albeit as a book) for quite a while before it was turned into a movie. That book series was seen as something very special for a while just as Star Wars has become before 1997 or 1999...yet there was such an outcry that it be treated reverently when the movies were announced that the filmmakers abided by that. There's not much difference between LOTR and SW. They're both stories....except one is treated like a product and the other wasn't for the longest time....
....and LOTR was made story of the century while SW is...well, just SW now...maybe that's just cuz it's treated like a product.....dunno, opinions?