For decades, movie fans have wondered how rich the McCallister family in the movie Home Alone actually was, and now economists have come up with an answer.
The movie Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin as the 8-year-old protagonist Kevin McCallister, who gets accidentally left behind when his family goes on vacation to Paris, has become a Christmastime classic since its release in 1990. Fans have dissected every detail of the movie over the years, but one mystery remains: Just how rich was the McCallister family, and where did they get their money?
The movie does not reveal what Kevin’s parents do for a living, though some have theorized that the mother, Kate, could be a fashion designer, given the number of mannequins seen in the family home. In fact, Todd Strasser, who wrote the official novelization of the movie, made Kate a fashion designer in the book version of Home Alone for that very reason.
The father, Peter McCallister, appears to be a businessman, although his line of work is never identified. One fan theory suggests that Peter is a member of organized crime, pointing to the attempted burglary of the family home as a possible vendetta. Kevin’s violent schemes to deter the burglars resulted from his exposure to criminal activity, according to this theory.
What is fairly certain, though, is that the McCallisters were a comfortable family, as evidenced by the home they lived in. In fact, the would-be burglars described the home as the “silver tuna,” speculating that it would be filled with “top-flight goods” such as stereos, fine jewelry, and securities.
The exterior of the grand house seen in the movie is an actual residence located at 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka, Illinois. According to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the home would have only been affordable to the top 1% of Chicago household earners in 1990, and the same holds true today, The New York Times reported.
In 1990, the home would have been affordable to families earning $305,000 or more per year. In 2022, a similar home would have cost about $2.4 million, requiring a household income of about $730,000.
Uncle Rob, who paid for 15 airline tickets for the family to travel to Paris, also appeared to be pretty financially comfortable. He was able to afford an apartment in Paris with an Eiffel Tower view that was large enough to house the entire group.
But, in the end, Home Alone is not about the money; it is about appreciating the family that you have.
“To me, with respect, fans who argue about the parents’ income, or house cost, should instead, simply enjoy the movie,” said Eve Cauley, the film’s set decorator, per the NYT. She noted that the heartwarming film was created as entertainment to “uplift spirits for the holidays.”
“It did, and still does, lift spirits,” she added.
