LAS VEGAS – Two years ago, Focus Features surprised the world’s theater owners at CinemaCon with the first footage fromRobert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.” The mini-major had already dated the gothic horror-thriller for the Christmas frame as counterprogramming to traditional holiday titles. The footage, which wasn’t released publicly for months, became one of the most buzzed-about moments from the convention that year. By January, “Nosferatu” was a smash, earning $181 million worldwide and four Oscar nominations. Can Focus and Eggers duplicate that magic with his latest endeavor, “Werewulf”? Based on the preview shown in Vegas, they just might.

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There are still very few official details about the “Werewulf” besides a cast that features returning “Nosferatu” stars Aaaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe (in his third Eggers epic) and that it’s, well, a werewolf movie. The footage showed that Eggers’ Oscar-nominated collaborators, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, production designer Craig Lathrop, costume designer Lina Muir, and prosthetic makeup artist David White are back at peak form. As is Eggers’ distinct cinematic eye. We don’t remember a money shot of a fully transformed Taylor-Johnson as the werewolf in question, but the footage shot was stunning. The film looks less expansive than the European-spanning “Nosferatu,” but there was a claustrophobia to that wilderness that reminded us of moments in the underrated “The Northman.” And. Dafoe in 13th-century garb wandering a cobblestone street with a hand lantern? More please.

The other Focus release teased was Georgia Oakley’s “Sense and Sensibility.” The first cinematic remake since Ang Lee‘s 1995 Best Picture-nominated adaptation 30 years ago, this incarnation is Oakley’s follow-up to her celebrated debut, “Blue Jean.” Intriguingly, this new version of “Sense” did not appear that different from other Jane Austin period adaptations. With a cast that includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw, it deserves our attention, but Oakley and screenwriter Diana Reid’s spin on the material may have been subtly lost in the preview shown. However, as with most Working Title productions, the cinematography, costumes, production design, and hair and makeup looked superb. Throw this in the “we need to see more bucket.”

Notably, at publication, Focus has not released any still imagery for either film. They are holding both close to the vest, for now.

Other prestige or potential awards plays that popped at CinemaCon included Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight), Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger” (Warner Bros.), Peter Farrelly’s “I Am Rocky” (Amazon MGM Studios) just for star Anthony Ippolito, Na Hong-jin’s in-competition Cannes title“Hope” (Neon), Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” (Sony Pictures), Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune Part Three” (Warner Bros.). and, of course, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures).

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