Eric Bana was adamant that Albury would have its own premiere for The Dry sequel

The team behind the movie watched the Regent Cinemas Albury-Wodonga numbers skyrocket over a record number of weeks.

Ultimately, Albury was the No.1 regional town in Australia for viewings of The Dry.

The Dry star Eric Bana was adamant that should a sequel ever be made, there would be a regional premiere and Q&A in Albury.

That eventuated on Tuesday night when Force of Nature: The Dry 2 premiered at Regent Cinemas Albury-Wodonga in two sold-out screenings.

Speaking to The Border Mail, director Robert Connolly said it would be the only regional premiere nationwide of the film adaptation of Jane Harper's second novel Force of Nature.

He was thrilled to thank Border people personally for their support at the Albury launch.

"After The Dry came out we had a weekly debrief with the distributor and each week we'd sit around the table and Eric would say: 'What are the numbers in Albury?!'" he said.

"We can't thank you enough."

Connolly (Balibo, Three Dollars and The Bank and the producer of Romulus, My Father and The Boys) had a track record of making films set in regional Australia.

He fell in love with the Otways, Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley while scouting for film locations for Force of Nature.

"What's incredible about some of these landscapes is the beauty of them unlocks in all different climates and incredibly the rivers are full, the waterfalls are big and muscular and visceral," Connolly says.

"There's the mist in the mornings which is spectacular, the late afternoon light is incredible, so there was an aesthetic reason for it too.

"We set off in the middle of winter to film in various places outside of Melbourne."

Connolly said the distinctive landscapes of Harper's novels were one of the defining features of the story; the landscape in Force of Nature: The Dry 2 pushed the characters and made them work even harder than in The Dry.

"The Dry was filmed up in the Wimmera Mallee area and it was more that drought-affected regional area," he said.

"Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is set in a subtropical, lush, mysterious, wintry, misty jungle."

Logistically, Connolly said capturing Force of Nature was the toughest shoot in his 25-year career.

He said the conditions tested the cast and crew but the results were worth it.

"Shot in winter, in remote valleys, in the rain and freezing cold temperatures, leeches, no easy access to unit facilities, it was certainly the toughest physical production I've ever done," Connolly said.

"But we wanted it to rain and to be overcast; the leeches, weather and rain gave it an authenticity!"

Bana said he had enormous respect for the crew, working in rain for 75 per cent of the shoot.

"Some locations were a 15 to 30-minute trek through the bush with no means of transport able to get in," Bana said.

"So, all the equipment was carried in by hand. In terms of physical output, I've never seen a film where the crew had to work so hard before the shooting day began; I was in complete awe every single day!"

The storyline follows five women who take part in a corporate hiking retreat and only four come out on the other side.

Federal agents Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) and Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie) head deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice Russell (Anna Torv), alive.

The stellar cast - a mix of legendary actors and youthful talent - elevated Force of Nature from the outset.

Deborra-Lee Furness (Jill Bailey) joined an incredible female ensemble.

Connolly credits casting director Jane Norris and his wife with the quality ensemble they pulled together.

"I was very lucky once again to work with Jane who has cast all my films from The Dry, Blueback, Paper Planes, Balibo and The Slap," he said.

"She has an incredible knack at casting ensemble films.

"Sisi Stringer (Beth) and Lucy Ansell (Bree) as the sisters are incredible in these early roles; you will see them years from now."

Connolly said he expected Force of Nature would resonate with an overseas audience as had The Dry.

"The more specific you make something to Australia, the better it travels overseas," Connolly said.

"People think you've got to be generalist and that's not the case.

"You see it on streaming services; in Middle America where you'd think it might be more homogenized, stuff from all over the world is rating through the roof."

As for whether there would be another film based on Harper's work in the pipeline, Connolly quipped: "I'll consider it if we top The Dry box office in Albury!"

Bana also had a final challenge for Albury: "One in five people in Albury must have seen The Dry, let's see if we can get one in two (for The Dry 2) if it's not too much to ask!"