Macaulay Culkin is known to people the world over as the adorable yet mischievous Kevin McAllister, the little boy from the “Home Alone” movies from the ’90s. And even though he grew up and continued working as an actor, albeit in more niche and alternative roles, he’s never really shaken his image as the “Home Alone” kid.
Culkin was just 10-years-old when he starred in the first “Home Alone” movie, which was released in 1990. The Christmas comedy film was a huge success and earned a total gross of $476.7 million dollars, which made it the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever until it was overtaken by “The Hangover,” all the way in 2011.
The actor’s strong association with the franchise is something he will surely never live down and, in fact, he’s even played up to it on a few occasions. In 2018, he starred in an ad for Google that saw him revisit the house from “Home Alone” as an adult. In it, a montage that’s similar to the film played out, where he has the house to himself and reenacts many of the things that Kevin did as a kid. These included shaving, jumping on the bed, watching the same detective movie he watched in “Home Alone,” ordering pizza, and more, while modern conveniences such as digital payments and digital assistants were included.
Considering the franchise’s lasting popularity, it’s no surprise then to learn that Culkin made a considerable amount of money from the movies, despite only being a child during filming. Years later he spoke about his earnings, which he revealed were so large that he’d never have to work again in his life.
A child star in Hollywood, Culkin was famed for his adorable appearance and starred in 15 films in a mere seven years during his youth. Alongside the “Home Alone” franchise, he was also in other hit movies of the era including “My Girl,” “Richie Rich” and the dark drama “The Good Son.”
By 1993, the boy had become one of the highest-paid child actors in Hollywood. Although as his fame grew, so did his dismay for his Hollywood lifestyle and the increased attention he received. It also put a strain on his relationship with his parents. When they split up in 1994, Culkin took this as an opportunity to quit acting and pursue a normal life as an adolescent. He attended a private school in Manhattan and turned down multiple acting jobs.
“I was just hoping to disappear off the face of the earth,” he told Time in 2001.
However, during his parents’ custody battle, the amount of money Culkin had actually made throughout his career came to light. Unaware of exactly how much he’d earned as his father handled the business side of things, it was discovered in 1996 that the child star was worth around $50 million. But because his money was tied to his parents’ names, he recalled how his mother couldn’t pay the rent as she spent all her money on lawyer’s fees, while he had millions in the bank he couldn’t touch. He told New York Magazine years later:
“We were about to get evicted from our apartment. The only way I could get access to that money was to take my father’s name off it, but I didn’t want to make it messy, so I figured I’d take both their names off.”
