The Fourth of July weekend has always been a highly lucrative time for summer blockbusters and exactly 30 years ago today one of the greatest big budget popcorn movies ever made exploded into theaters when James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day arrived.
Seven years on from the classic 1984 original, Cameron reunited with stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton for a second installment that was fifteen times more expensive than its predecessor. It was the costliest production in the history of the industry at the time and was the first to come armed with a budget in excess of $100 million.
As there typically is whenever Cameron puts a new project together, there were doubts that Terminator 2‘s extravagant costs, which included $15 million and a private jet for Schwarzenegger as part of his contract, were setting him up for a fall. Needless to say, any naysayers were forced to eat their words when it hauled in $519 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing R-rated title ever. It’s still the biggest commercial hit of the leading man’s entire career.
Somehow, the sci-fi actioner is 30 years old, and as befitting its status, a lot of fans have been revisiting Judgement Day to mark the occasion, as you can see from the reactions below.
One of the best pure sequels ever made was released •30 years ago• today.
And man, it still holds up. #Terminator2 pic.twitter.com/MSUm1YOV2k
— 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 🎥🎞🎬 (@CraigKoban) July 3, 2021
30 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day premiered in theaters. Arguably the best sequel of all time, and to many far better than the original. Lots of character growth, and full of effects that really changed how movies were made. pic.twitter.com/7YZKsI15VQ
— Larry King (@larrykingundead) July 3, 2021
Just re-watched Terminator 2, released 30 years ago. And it still holds up as an amazing movie! pic.twitter.com/ls5q7Z6UxP
— Keith Atherton | Microsoft MVP (@MrKeithAtherton) July 3, 2021
30 years ago on this day, James Cameron released one of the most groundbreaking sequels ever made: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
pic.twitter.com/AcoFwLhaLr— 1st Row (@firstrowreviews) July 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/mandyist/status/1411295601195732992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1411295601195732992%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmovieweb.com%2Fterminator-2-judgment-day-30th-anniversary%2F
30 years of the greatest sci-fi action sequel of all-time. #Terminator2 pic.twitter.com/f7RQA6KVhg
— Nick Bosworth (@NickMBosworth) July 3, 2021
THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released 30 years ago today on July 3, 1991. pic.twitter.com/dkM0LYNYP8
— Vanessinator 🤖 T-80085 (@ilovejohnkimble) July 3, 2021
It’s 30 years since the release of #Terminator2 and it’s still one of the best sci-fi action flicks of all time.
Hasta la Vista, baby pic.twitter.com/Yu5zFQZkfX
— Haricharan Pudipeddi (@pudiharicharan) July 3, 2021
Happy Anniversary to one of the best films sequels that any film fan I’m sure likes. Whichever version you like is great! Personally the 2nd version the Extended version is my favourite. Here is a small part of my T2 collection. #T2 #Terminator2 #IllBeBack pic.twitter.com/yysBUvelLS
— joeykeys05 (@joeykeys05) July 3, 2021
Hard to believe T2 is 30 years old today. Still one of the greatest of all time. #t2 #terminator2 #hastalavistababy https://t.co/jATPqaAHIl
— Chris Alley (@chrisalley) July 3, 2021
30 years of #Terminator2
03.07.91 pic.twitter.com/57um66793Q— Maria Emma (@mariaemma16) July 3, 2021
We’ve seen another four installments in the franchise since Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released, and none of them have come anywhere close to matching the success of what’s long since gone down in the history books as one of the most significant studio projects of the modern era, reinventing the game with its cutting-edge visual effects and barnstorming succession of epic action sequences on the sort of canvas only James Cameron paints on.
