Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Terminator was made on a budget of approximately $6.4 million and grossed $78.3 million worldwide, with $38.3 million coming from the United States and Canada and $40 million from other territories.
James Cameron directed The Terminator. He conceived the premise from a fever dream he had while ill in Rome, Italy, during the release of his first film, Piranha II: The Spawning in 1982. He dreamed of a metallic torso holding kitchen knives dragging itself from an explosion.
Orion Pictures originally approached Schwarzenegger for the role of Kyle Reese. After meeting him, Cameron decided he was better suited to the villain and told producer John Daly that Schwarzenegger "would make a hell of a Terminator." Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson had both turned down the Terminator role before Schwarzenegger was cast.
Schwarzenegger speaks only 17 lines and fewer than 100 words in the entire film. He struggled with the pronunciation of the word 'I'll' in the line 'I'll be back' and asked Cameron to change it, but Cameron refused.
The Terminator was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2008, having been deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Yes. Writer Harlan Ellison claimed the screenplay was based on his short story 'Soldier from Tomorrow' and his Outer Limits episode 'Soldier.' Orion Pictures settled with Ellison in 1986 for an undisclosed amount and added an acknowledgment credit to later prints of the film. Cameron opposed the settlement but had no choice but to accept it.