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Fans wearing 3D glasses clapped as soon as James Cameron's face appeared on screen. The filmmaker, shown in 3D, invited moviegoers to enjoy a 16-minute peek of his anticipated sci-fi epic Avatar, which was screened for free around the world last Friday.
The footage takes viewers to the planet Pandora, where an ex-Marine (Sam Worthington) is among a group of humans who have their brains linked to cloned versions of a native species in order to safely explore the spectacular environment.
Sigourney Weaver plays a botanist overseeing the exploration. She, too, embodies an avatar based on the tall, lithe, tailed, blue humanoid species that populates the planet.
Together they meet an enormous hammerhead dinosaur with a plume of multi-coloured spikes on its face and the snarling tiger-like creature that scares it away.
Relying on 3D and performance-capture technology Cameron has helped pioneer, Avatar is an immersive blend of animation and live-action movie magic.
Fans at an IMAX screening in Los Angeles were overwhelmed by the 3D footage.
"It was almost a sensory overload," said Ryan Moore, 23, a student at Ohio State University. "You have to be in the moment wearing the (3D) glasses to really appreciate it."
The free preview convinced one fan to buy a ticket on the spot. "I think it's going to be one of the greatest movies this decade," said 21-year-old film student Derek Nunn.
Avatar is set for release in Bahrain on December 18.
