Sun Cinema in Bright was the place to be last Friday night, as the local theatre hosted its premiere screening of 'War Machine', a 2026 action movie directed by Patrick Hughes and filmed in part on location in Bright.

Bright Chamber of Commerce president, Marcus Warner, said the chamber and council was super excited to see the premiere, hoping it may spark further worldwide interest in the region for future films.

"One of the chamber's key aims is to look at alternative injections of revenue into the region and we've highlighted the opportunity which film and TV can bring to our local economy," he said.

"The success of the recently released movie 'War Machine', put over $7.5 million into the local economy and $35 million into the Victorian economy during its production.

"The timing of this funding was ideal; as it injected much needed dollars into the Bright and Porepunkah community, at the end of a very poor snow season in 2024."

As every seat in the cinema was taken on Friday night, Sun Cinema theatre took to Facebook to post their appreciation for the strong community support.

"Thank you to everyone who came along to our special screenings of War Machine," a Sun Cinema spokesperson said.

"A special thank you to co-writer James Beaufort for presenting the film [in person, on the night].

"Thanks also go out to Jenny Paul, Pia Shire, owner Michael Smith and to our wonderful staff and photographers Brendan and Ros Holland for capturing the night."