“It Certainly Felt Like Gloom and Doom”: James Cameron Went “Holy Cra*” After Arnold Schwarzenegger Starrer Terminator 2 Exceeded $100 Million Budget

As Academy Award-winning director James Cameron sat for an interview with the team of GQ, he went on to analyze some of his most iconic films. While reflecting on his filmography journey ahead of his much-awaited Avatar 2 release, the Titanic mastermind also talked about his box-office hit film Terminator 2. After the roaring success of 1984 Terminator, which starred former bodybuilding champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, Cameron again paired with his old friend to weave the magic.

Sharing some behind-the-story tidbits, the ace director spoke about how he and his team initially thought the second installment of the Terminator series would be a disaster. Cameron talked about the challenges faced and how the budget shot up.

James Cameron, the good friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, talked about the behind-the-scenes of the film

As James sat for the interview, he talked about how the budget for Terminator 2 movie went beyond their expected limit. Talking about how he and his team wanted to push the CGI, the call resulted in the shooting up of the budget. Going about the incident, Cameron said that budget was pushed to “somewhere in the 80 million.”

When Cameron first realized that the budget for the film was going to exceed the limit, Cameron could not help but exclaim, ‘Holy Cra*!’ Nonetheless, Cameron and his team decided to go for it. They were in no mood to compromise on the cinematic experience. The budget, on the other side, kept on increasing. 

Read More: “Didn’t Really Want to Be a Part”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Bodybuilding Rival Denied Working With Him in Pumping Iron Due to the 8-Time Mr. Olympia.

As James revealed about the budget, “it was kind of approaching a hundred million.” However, their hard work paid off when the film became the “biggest hit of the year.” Happy with the results, Cameron reflected, “it was all paid off, but it certainly felt like gloom and doom at the time.”

A decade-long wait before the audience saw Arnold again step in the shoes of The Terminator

After the massive success of the Terminator, the fans were eagerly waiting for the sequel. However, the animosity between Cameron, Schwarzenegger, and the company that owned the film’s rights, Hemdale Film Corporation, pushed back the Terminator 2 production. It was only until that Carolco Pictures bought the movie right for $15 million that the work on the script began.

The filming of the second installment began in October 1990 and took almost a year to complete. The film was the first movie ever to use a CGI lead character. During the said time, it was one of the most expensive films ever to be made in Hollywood. Despite the setbacks, the film went on to earn approximately $520 million at the box office.

Watch This Story: An unseen image of legend Arnold Schwarzenegger with his 2 stunt doubles.