Action thriller

The Terminator (1984): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Name: The Terminator
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Released: 1984-10-26
Duration: 1 h 47 min
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn

The Terminator is a 1984 action thriller directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. It runs 1 hour 47 minutes and earned $78.4 million worldwide on a $6.4 million budget. It won 2 awards from 6 nominations, including Best Make-up at the Saturn Awards 1985. Critics gave it 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.

IMDb rating: 8.1/10
worldwide gross: $78.4M
awards won: 2
Metascore: 84

Loading streaming availability…

Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: October 26, 1984
Runtime: 1h 47m (107 min)
Director: James Cameron
Genres: Action , Sci-Fi , Thriller
Original language: English
Studio: Orion Pictures
Budget: $6.4M
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is The Terminator About?

The premise of The Terminator without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A cyborg assassin is sent from 2029 to 1984 to eliminate Sarah Connor, a young woman whose unborn son will lead the fight against a malevolent artificial intelligence. To protect her, Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future, is sent back to defend Sarah and ensure humanity's survival. Their struggle becomes a desperate race against time as they confront the Terminator and the terrifying potential of the future.

The Terminator Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

time travel
cyborg
future war
car chase
robotics
hit by a truck
sunglasses
nightclub
death of friend
female nudity
man from the future
2020s

+38 more

1980s
year 2029
soldier
waitress
temporal paradox
human versus machine
interrogation
action hero
hero
parking garage
tech noir
dream
self surgery
time travel romance
gun store
photograph
nuclear war
robot
motel
post apocalypse
public nudity
national film registry
heroine
time displacement
freedom fighter
assassin
genocide
roommate
answering machine
mass shooting
time loop
time paradox
car theft
motorcycle
dystopian sci fi
female star appears nude
miniskirt
pig

Loading streaming availability…

Cast & crew

The Terminator Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger leads the cast, with Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. Directed by James Cameron.

Director James Cameron

From the director

More from James Cameron

More films directed by James Cameron, best-rated first: Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Avatar and Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Full filmography

Ratings

The Terminator Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave The Terminator 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.

IMDb

8.1 /10
See on IMDb
Metacritic

84 Metascore

User score 8.7
See on Metacritic
TMDB

77% User score
See on TMDB

Plot

The Terminator Plot Summary

What happens in The Terminator from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Over a dystopian battlefield where robotic war machines reign, humanity finds itself in a long-standing conflict against an enemy called the Machines. Surprisingly, the “final battle” will unfold not in this bleak future, but in the past—specifically in the year 1984.

Full summary

The whole story of The Terminator, scene by scene

Read the full summary

Timeline of events

Box office

The Terminator Box Office & Budget

The Terminator grossed $78.4 million worldwide on a $6.4 million budget, 12 times what it cost. $38.4 million came from the US and Canada and $40 million (51%) from the rest of the world.

1984 box office

Worldwide gross

$78.4M

12× its budget

US & Canada: $38.4M
International: $40M
Budget: $6.4M

US & Canada 49% Rest of the world 51%

Awards

The Terminator Awards & Nominations

The Terminator won 2 awards from 6 nominations, including Best Make-up at the Saturn Awards 1985.

2 wins6 nominations1 ceremony

Saturn Awards 1985 2 wins · 6 nominations
- Won Best Make-up
- Won Best Writing
- Nominated Best Actor – Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Nominated Best Actress
- Nominated Best Director – James Cameron
+1 more at the Saturn Awards 1985

Videos

The Terminator Trailers & Videos

6 videos: 1 trailer, 1 teaser and 4 clips.

All 6 videos

The Terminator Trailer: Official Trailer — Official Trailer

Teaser Re-release Teaser Trailer
Clip I’ll Be Back
Clip Come With Me If You Want To Live
Clip From The Future

Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Terminator?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

Question 1: not answered
Question 2: not answered
Question 3: not answered
Question 4: not answered
Question 5: not answered
Question 6: not answered
Question 7: not answered
Question 8: not answered
Question 9: not answered
Question 10: not answered

What year does the Terminator first arrive in the movie?

Details

The Terminator Also Known As

41 alternative titles, including “Tamineta” and “Terminaattori”.

Also known as: Tamineta
Terminaattori
El exteminador
El ejecutor
Terminator: El exterminador
Naboodgar
Terminateur
Dödsängeln
El Exterminador
Yok edici
เทอร์มิเนเตอร์
魔鬼終結者

+29 more Show fewer

Ο Εξολοθρευτής
Терминатор
ターミネーター
未來戰士
Terminatorul
Elektroniczny morderca
A Halálosztó
Terminator 1
The Terminator 1
Der Terminator
Terminátor
Terminátor: A Halálosztó
Terminatör
Terminator – tuhoaja
O Exterminador Implacável
终结者
שליחות קטלנית
ฅนเหล็ก 2029
터미네이터
نابودگر
Термінатор
O Exterminador do Futuro
Tortímandinn
Kẻ Hủy Diệt
Terminatorius
Terminaator
Terminators
المدمر, ტერმინატორი
शवार्जेनेगर: द टर्मिनेटर