It did’t feel like it when motorists were clashing with traffic officers and blocked streets were causing bedlam in downtown Johannesburg, but a trailer for the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron suggests the chaos of disruption during the filming was all worthwhile.
The trailer was leaked online on Wednesday – a week ahead of schedule, forcing Marvel to release the official version in high definition yesterday.
And just seven hours after its release, the two-minute trailer had more than 5.7million views on YouTube.
It opens with a beautiful aerial shot of Johannesburg, over what looks like Kensington and Observatory, moving towards Hillbrow.
It’s a given that there is gunfire and petrified mortals running in all directions past damaged cars and buildings – mostly on Johannesburg streets, outside the Carlton Centre, at Rea Vaya bus stations and in Gandhi Square.
Parts of the film – mostly action sequences that did not include stars Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey jnr, Chris Hemsworth and Samuel L Jackson – were shot over two weeks in the city in February, and caused major traffic disruptions.
Harrison and Rissik streets were closed between 7am and 7pm for consecutive days, while President Street between Rissik and Eloff streets was also affected. Sections of Commissioner, Sauer and Albertina Sisulu streets were closed, while Kingsley Sithole Road and Basil Zuma Street in Orlando East were also affected.
