Live-action adaptations bring more publicity to the source material
Selling an adaptation of an anime to a different, larger audience can help draw new viewers to the original series, and in turn help the fanbase to grow.
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The Argument
Even though anime has gotten more popular, not everyone is an anime fan. Many people are still put off from watching anime for some reason or another. Some are just indifferent to it, while others are actually hostile to it; either it is too "cartoony," or they see the typical anime tropes as weird or unrelatable. It can sometimes be hard for an anime fan to try to share their interests with their friends or family.
Live-action adaptations help provide a solution to this problem. It's probably a safe assumption to make that most people are familiar with live-action TV and movies. One can introduce a friend to their favorite anime by showing them the live-action version first. If the characters and story appeal to them, the movie can help them transition from seeing them in live-action to seeing them animated.
For those not acquainted with anime, a live-action setting might be more familiar. A live-action adaptation of an anime might pique their interest in the medium. These movies can help draw more fans to anime and help the community grow. Live-action adaptations mark a positive development for anime in general.
Counter arguments
It would be a terrible decision to try and get a friend into, for example, Dragon Ball by getting them to watch Dragonball Evolution. Adaptations of anime are just bad movies; how can one get into anime by watching them? Many fans would agree that Dragonball Evolution is a bad representation of the anime, and would be a terrible introduction to the series, if not turn people off entirely.
A lot of what makes anime great doesn't translate into films. The facial comedy, the artistic animation, even some of the tropey mainstays of the genre, all fall flat in a live-action medium. Even if a viewer likes the live-action adaptation, it is not guaranteed that they will take well to the "unconventional" tropes of anime.