If you’ll recall not too long ago, some lucky folks were the first to really get a good look at footage from James Cameron‘s groundbreaking new science fiction movie, Avatar, and their opinions of the footage were about as excited as humans can get for a movie (Read: The Words That Will Put James Cameron’s “˜Avatar’ At The Top Of Your Must-See List). If you’re one of the many who are currently at the San Diego Comic Con, you now know why this feedback was so resoundingly positive as Mr. Cameron himself showed up and showed off twenty-five minutes of footage to the rabid crowd!

While a recap of the Avatar panel will be featured on Geeks of Doom soon enough, Cameron made a very cool announcement at the end that we wanted to share with our readers singularly.

Cameron announced that on August 21, 2009, movie-goers around the world will be able to see 15 minutes of Avatar for free at digital 3D IMAX screens.

This means that an global audience will have the opportunity to see for themselves how amazing it looks. This is a way for those who are unsure of these crazy new technological advancements in cinema to go and thoroughly see if the movie is something they’re going to want to see on December 18, 2009 or if it’s just not for you. I can sit here confidently, having not seen one frame of the movie, and tell you that you’re going to want to see it when it comes out, but this is definitely a really cool way for fans to check it out. It’s also a smart way to ensure that as many people see it the way that it’s intended to be seen (IMAX 3D), as opposed to the little justice a TV spot will offer. I’m assuming that the movie’s trailer will be slapped in front of as many 3D IMAX movies as they can get, too.

Once again, stay tuned here for a full Avatar Comic Con recap, and be sure to remember August 21 as Avatar Day!