Cult Classic Holiday Movie ‘Home Alone’ Would Never Exist Without Macaulay Culkin’s Underrated $79 Million Blockbuster
- Macaulay Culkin famously starred in the Christmas-classic, Home Alone.
- This cult holiday movie would not have been made if it was not for another of Culkin's movies.
- Producer John Hughes was inspired to make Home Alone while he was planning his own holiday.
It is impossible for Home Alone to not come up when it comes to Christmas movies. Although the movie was released over three decades ago, it is still one of the most beloved holiday films to ever exist. Not to mention that it is also one of Macaulay Culkin’s most successful projects to date.
Just like every other movie, this one too has a backstory that is rather fascinating. The foundations of this movie were laid when producer John Hughes and Culkin were working on a different movie which was released a year before this one.
One of Macaulay Culkin’s Other Movies Inspired Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin was only 4 years old when he began acting. Some of the early professional roles include stage work. His film debut came in 1988’s drama Rocket Gibraltar. The next year, he starred in two movies, the rom-com, See You in the Morning and the comedy, Uncle Buck.
The second of these was written and directed by John Hughes. It follows the story of a bachelor, Buck Russell (John Candy) who is entrusted with the babysitting of his brother’s kids. The movie received mostly positive reviews and earned $79 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo).
There is a scene in this film where Buck has to leave the house for some reason, so he arranges for his girlfriend, Chanice (Amy Madigan) to babysit the children. When Chanice shows up at the doorstep of the house, Culkin’s character Miles Russell insists on seeing her driver’s license without which he will not let her in. Chanice acquiesces and shows her driver’s license through the mail slot.
According to Mental Floss, this sparked an idea in John Hughes’ brain about a boy who is extremely defensive of his house. In fact, fans will remember there is a very similar scene in Home Alone where Kevin McCallister (Culkin) has a confrontation with Daniel Stern. The only difference was that this time it was through a doggie door instead of the mail slot.
The Idea for the First Part of the Movie Originated When John Hughes Was Planning His Own Vacation
The movie opens to show a very busy McCallister house gearing up to leave for a Christmas trip to Paris. After a mishap caused by Kevin, his mother sends him to the attic room as a punishment. In his anger, Kevin wishes that his family disappeared. In a comic turn of events, his family forgets him at home when they leave for the airport.
This scene was inspired by Hughes’ own vacation planning during which he made a list of things that he did not want to forget. Hilariously, his kids also came to his mind while making that list. He told TIME:
I was going away on vacation and making a list of everything I didn’t want to forget. I thought, ‘Well, I’d better not forget my kids.’ Then I thought, ‘What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?’
Like a true creative, the Curly Sue director developed the thought into eight pages of notes which was later developed into the screenplay for Home Alone. Upon release, this film replicated the success of his other Christmas movies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
The Chris Columbus-directed flick grossed $476 million against a small budget of $18 million. Besides winning an American Comedy Award and a Young Artist Award, Culkin also earned a Golden Globe award nomination for his performance. The film also spawned two sequels.
