Waikiki should be flattered, even if it means being flattened. From the start of production, the filmmakers behind the new "Godzilla" wanted to send people screaming down its tourist-laden streets as if a giant monster loomed overhead.
Wednesday night on Lewers Street, after 85 days of shooting in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Oahu, the iconic giant lizard did just that — at least in the minds of more than 300 extras and British director Gareth Edwards.
The production from Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures closed Lewers from Don Ho Street to Kalia Road from 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to about 6 a.m. today.
The filmmakers worked with Outrigger Enterprises, which manages the nearby Waikiki Beach Walk collection of shops and restaurants. Businesses along Lewers remained open but their lanais were closed.
Hundreds of people lined the sidewalk along Lewers as the extras rehearsed running mauka on the street. They looked like Honolulu marathoners in mid-race.
"Thanks, everybody," said first assistant director Alex Gayner. "Be careful. Save your energy. We’re going to be at this for a long time."
They ran on "action" and the sound of a thousand slippers filled the air.
Of course, there was no monster. That comes after the special effects team produces a computer-generated creature. The franchise lizard will join 30 films dating from 1954, including a 1998 version shot on Kauai and Oahu.
Mike Fantasia, locations manager for "Godzilla," said the filmmakers looked at several streets off Kalakaua Avenue, but that this stretch of Lewers was much brighter.
"The thing we really love about this street was the length, the width, the height, the types of shops," Fantasia said. "And it’s not just a linear street. It has a curve to it, so it works for us."
When the film is released in May, Waikiki — or what’s left of it — will become part of science-fiction history, said Walea Constantinau, Honolulu film commissioner.
"There is certainly a strong fan base across generations for this particular creature, so to be a part of that is interesting," she said. "You become, by default, a part of that cinematic icon’s history."
The "Godzilla" filmmakers started thinking about Waikiki locations in December. Everyone involved wanted what Constantinau called a "lively" street with lots of people and attractive storefronts. Lewers Street, part of which was redeveloped in 2007 as Waikiki Beach Walk, was perfect, she said.
Doing it at night made crowd control easier.
"We think we have come up with a good plan that has a minimal impact to the public," she said before shooting. "It is a contained area at a slower time of the night and night of the week."
Hotel guests were still allowed to come and go, although some faced detours.
She doesn’t think they’ll mind the inconvenience of a movie during their vacation.
"It’s a really fun and interesting thing of them and they have these great stories to take back when they go home," Constantinau said.
Shutting down a length of street and keeping it closed is fairly rare. Film and TV productions typically close streets intermittently, allowing for normal traffic to cruise along until the director is ready for action.
"Godzilla" started shooting in Vancouver on March 18 and moved to Hawaii on June 30, including two days last week of make-believe devastation along Duke Kahanamoku Beach and the parking lot at Kaiser Beach.
The latest reboot of "Godzilla" stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass 2"), Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai"), Elizabeth Olsen ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), Juliette Binoche ("The English Patient"), David Strathairn ("Good Night and Good Luck") and Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad").
None of the film’s stars, though, was part of the Lewers Street scene.
