Macaulay Culkin's "Home Alone" fortune: A holiday goldmine
The movies about Kevin McCallister were massive box office hits and have become almost an indispensable part of Christmas over the years. For Macaulay Culkin, they were also a source of vast wealth.
Macaulay Culkin is undoubtedly one of the most well-known child actors in the history of cinema. The "Home Alone" series were huge box office hits, and a few years later, the actor starred in "Richie Rich," making him a multimillionaire before he turned 16.
Macaulay Culkin earned tens of millions for "Home Alone"
Undoubtedly, Culkin is best remembered by audiences for the "Home Alone" movies. The first "Home Alone" grossed over $470 million at theatres, which seems amusing from today's perspective, but considering inflation, it's over a billion "modern" dollars.
This, of course, led to immediate negotiations for a sequel. Due to the original's enormous commercial success, all the actors received significant raises, although not everyone felt they were enough. Daniel Stern, who played one of the burglars, initially rejected the offer, stating that he is worth more. As we know, in the end, they managed to sign a contract that satisfied him.
Undoubtedly, the biggest jump in salary for a film was that of Culkin's contract—the actor reportedly received $110,000 for the original. For the sequel, however, he received $5 million! But that sum pales in comparison to what he earned after the film's release.
Culkin earned more after the premiere of "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
As is often the case with major stars, producers not only offered an upfront fee but also included a clause regarding a percentage of box office revenues in the contract. This was very lucrative because "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" grossed nearly $360 million in ticket sales.
Years later, Stern revealed in his biography "Home and Alone" that Culkin earned an additional 5% of the total box office revenue for the second film in the series. This meant that after the premiere of "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," he received an extra $18 million.
This means that Culkin earned a total of $23 million for his role in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." It's important to remember that this is only part of his total earnings—as the movie is shown every year at Christmas on televisions around the world, Culkin receives additional millions of dollars in royalties.
