Predator is a 1987 American action and science fiction film directed by John McTiernan and written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. It’s the first installment of the Predator franchise. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite paramilitary rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-controlled territory in a Central American rainforest, who encounter the deadly Predator (Kevin Peter Hall), a technologically alien advanced that stalks and hunts them.

Predator was written in 1984 under the provisional title of Hunter. Shooting spanned from March to June 1986 with effects of creatures conceived by Stan Winston; the budget was about $15 million. 20th Century Fox premiered the film on June 12, 1987 in the United States, where it grossed $98.3 million.. The initial reviews were mixed, but the film has since been revalued as a classic of the action genre.Predator’s success spawned a media franchise of movies, novels, comics, video games and toys. It spawned three direct sequels: Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018), and an upcoming installment in preproduction. A crossover with the Alien franchise produced the Alien vs. films. Predator, including Alien vs. Predator (2004) & Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).