Short answers, pulled from the story.
James Cameron wrote the initial draft of The Terminator in 1982 after falling ill during a film release. He developed the story while staying at the home of science fiction writer Randall Frakes in Pomona, California.
The Terminator premiered on the 26th of October 1984 across 1,005 theaters in the United States. It grossed $78.3 million worldwide against a budget of $6.4 million.
Harlan Ellison claimed the screenplay was based on his short story Soldier From Tomorrow and threatened to sue Orion Pictures. The studio settled the dispute in 1986 by paying him an undisclosed amount and adding an acknowledgment credit to later prints.
Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks only 17 lines totaling fewer than 100 words throughout the entire film. He spent three months training with weapons to prepare for the role before filming began in March 1984.
Brad Fiedel composed and performed the entire soundtrack using a Prophet-10 synthesizer. Almost all the music was recorded live to create the mechanical heartbeat sound that defined the film's auditory identity.