Tempers were frayed when the shooting of the latest Batman movie was interrupted by crowds of fans trying to get a closer glimpse of the caped crusader as police and other security personnel battled with the lunch-hour traffic around Hong Kong's oldest wet market.
In a tense moment, a member of the film crew lashed out at Film Services Office representatives, calling for more police reinforcements.
Tempers were cooled after an FSO staff member reassured the filmmaker there were 100 plainclothes officers in the area and that a large number of uniformed officers would not be appropriate during filming.
Spectators flooded the area around Gage Street, where The Dark Knight was being filmed. The scene quickly turned into scrums as onlookers tried to get a closer glimpse of the award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and Christian Bale, who stars as Batman.
About five officers and six security staff, including two men wearing New York Police Department SWAT T-shirts, were managing the crowds as well as the traffic.
The shooting took place from noon during the hectic market delivery time when dozens of lorries drive up Lyndhurst Terrace, a narrow road, below the Central escalator.
It appeared to be a logistics nightmare with the film crew's van being ordered to move out of the area by police.
One fan who was waiting to catch a glimpse of Bale, said: "It is going to create a lot of chaos. People will start getting annoyed if this drags on for days."
Despite the chaos, some still managed to remain in high spirits. Katty Law, an environmentalist fighting against the redevelopment of the market area, said the government should take note of Batman's choice.
"Batman's producers chose the market because of the unique environment of the area. I am sure they would not have chosen a shopping mall," she said.
Later there was some high drama when Batman leapt off Hong Kong's tallest building, IFC2, at night after a helicopter and plane had circled the skyscraper for hours.
Yesterday's chaos was the latest hitch faced by the producers who earlier enraged office workers and residents by asking them to keep their lights on during the filming.