Opening scene continuous shot

I love continuous shots. The care and attention to detail, usually with lots of extras in the scene. The amount of prep work must be daunting, but the payoff is really mesmerizing making you ask "how did they do that?"

I like how it started with an overhead shot, above the skeleton float, then down to street level, then into a hotel, up stairs and into an elevator. Then into a suite, out a window and across a ledge and up overhead of JB until he reaches a sniper perch.

These shots have to be what good directors dream of doing, but I bet they are really expensive and time consuming, prohibiting their use.