Editing The Terminator (section)

{{Short description|1984 science fiction film}}
{{about|the film|the franchise|Terminator (franchise)|the character|Terminator (character)|the character concept|Terminator (character concept)|other uses|Terminator (disambiguation)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Terminator
| image          = Terminator1984movieposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[James Cameron]]
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* James Cameron
* [[Gale Anne Hurd]]
}}
| producer       = Gale Anne Hurd
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]
* [[Michael Biehn]]
* [[Linda Hamilton]]
* [[Paul Winfield]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Adam Greenberg (cinematographer)|Adam Greenberg]]
| editing        = [[Mark Goldblatt]]
| music          = [[Brad Fiedel]]
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Hemdale Film Corporation|Hemdale]]
* [[Pacific Western Productions]]
* Euro Film Funding
* Cinema '84
}}
| distributor    = [[Orion Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1984|10|26}}
| runtime        = 107 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 107:01--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/terminator-1970-4 | title=The Terminator | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | access-date=October 3, 2014 | archive-date=October 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105024/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/terminator-1970-4 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=18093|title=LUMIERE : Film: The Terminator|website=lumiere.obs.coe.int|access-date=August 16, 2017|archive-date=June 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624112240/http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=18093|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MFB" /><ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=57224|title=The Terminator|location=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=15 November 2016|archive-date=October 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029032346/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=57224|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $6.4 million<ref name="Mojo">{{Cite Box Office Mojo|id=0088247|title=The Terminator|access-date=February 3, 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| gross          = $78.3 million
}}

'''''The Terminator''''' is a 1984 American [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[action film]]<!--Discuss on talk page before adding genres to the lead--> directed by [[James Cameron]], written by Cameron and [[Gale Anne Hurd]] and produced by Hurd. It stars [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as the [[Terminator (character)|Terminator]], a [[cybernetics|cybernetic]] assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate [[Sarah Connor (Terminator)|Sarah Connor]] ([[Linda Hamilton]]), whose [[John Connor|unborn son]] will one day save mankind from extinction by [[Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet]], a hostile [[artificial intelligence]], in a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] future. [[Kyle Reese]] ([[Michael Biehn]]) is a soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah. The screenplay is credited to Cameron and Hurd, while co-writer [[William Wisher Jr.]] received an "additional dialogue" credit.

Cameron devised the premise of the film from a fever dream he experienced during the release of his first film, ''[[Piranha II: The Spawning]]'' (1982), in Rome, and developed the concept in collaboration with Wisher. He sold the rights to the project to fellow [[New World Pictures]] alumna Hurd on the condition that she would produce the film only if he were to direct it; Hurd eventually secured a distribution deal with [[Orion Pictures]], while executive producers [[John Daly (producer)|John Daly]] and Derek Gibson of [[Hemdale Film Corporation]] were instrumental in setting up the film's financing and production. Originally approached by Orion for the role of Reese, Schwarzenegger agreed to play the title character after befriending Cameron. Filming, which took place mostly at night on location in Los Angeles, was delayed because of Schwarzenegger's commitments to ''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' (1984), during which Cameron found time to work on the scripts for ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]'' (1985) and ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986). The film's special effects, which included [[miniature effect|miniatures]] and [[stop-motion animation]], were created by a team of artists led by [[Stan Winston]] and [[Gene Warren Jr.]]

Defying low pre-release expectations, ''The Terminator'' topped the United States [[box office]] for two weeks, eventually grossing $78.3 million against a modest $6.4 million budget. It is credited with launching Cameron's film career and solidifying Schwarzenegger's status as a [[leading man]]. The film's success led to [[Terminator (franchise)|a franchise]] consisting of [[Terminator (franchise)#Films|several sequels]], [[Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles|a television series]], [[List of Terminator comics|comic books]], [[T2 (novel series)|novels]] and [[List of Terminator video games|video games]]. In 2008, ''The Terminator'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]].