Before CG, 2D or 3D simulation to create massive crowds, Hollywood relied on extras—real people who laboriously had to be controlled, clothed, fed and paid (nowadays, from $50-$100 per 8 hours on the set, depending on the budget, of course).
These are those that assemble the huge armies in great land battles. Or the crowd that gathers in the plaza when the king makes his speech. Or the blood-thirsty spectators in the arena, cheering "Death! Death!". These are the biblical and historical movies of yore that demanded a "cast of thousands." For without these extras, Cecil B. DeMille probably wouldn't have a career. In other words, movies that we call "epic!"
And forget social distancing
