It's unclear how many people are picking up the tab here, but if Uncle Rob agreed to cover the calamity of rescuing Kevin, the entire trip would have cost him about $28,000. It's a staggering figure, but still less today than it would have cost in 1990, thanks to the lower cost of airfare.
Here's the rough estimates after a scrutinizing rewatch:"Home Alone," 1990Fifteen tickets from Chicago to Paris at Christmas, 11 coach and four first-class ones for the adults. A non-stop, roundtrip flight on American Airlines (the airline they flew) would cost a whopping $35,320.
Flying 15 people to Paris is expensive, especially with the four adults flying first class, but Kevin's parents don't pay for the airplane tickets. Early in the film, Kate McCallister tells a police officer — who is actually Harry in disguise — that her husband's brother paid for the flights. That brother is Uncle Rob.
Who paid for the family trip to Paris in Home Alone?
But there's another factor at play with the Paris trip, too. You may not remember this detail, but Kate actually states at the beginning of the movie that Peter's brother Rob paid for the family's trip to Paris.
“Home Alone” never revealed what the family did for a living but it was assumed that Kate McCallister worked in fashion since the house had mannequins. Kevin's dad was a businessman because it was “a safe bet,” Todd Strasser, who wrote the official novelizations of “Home Alone” said, according to the Times.
What would the ‘Home Alone’ Paris vacation cost today?
How rich were the McCallisters?
So, it turns out that Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O'Hara) would've been earning at least $305,000 annually in 1990 (or about $665,000 in 2022) to afford the house, which is located on the North shore of Chicago.
How much does Macaulay Culkin make every year from Home Alone?
Some fans might not realise that Macaulay doesn't actually make any money from Home Alone anymore, as it tends to be those involved in the creation and production of films who receive the royalties.
So there you have it. Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O'Hara) would've been earning at least $305,000 annually in 1990 (or about $665,000 in 2022) to afford the house, which is located on the North shore of Chicago.
How much did Macaulay Culkin make for Home Alone? Culkin only made $110,000 for his foray as Kevin McCallister, but for Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, he commanded a much heftier $4.5 million.
Plus, Kevin spent an amusingly hefty $967.43 on room service, which would have equated to $2,184.42 today. And let's not forget about the private stretch limo. Luckily for Kevin the limo was taken care of by The Plaza, saving him the $336.22. Today, a four-hour limo ride around NYC would put a $729 dent in your wallet.
The stunning residence is a real home located in Winnetka, Illinois, about 20 miles from Chicago, and at the time, it was owned by the Abendshien family, who relocated to a makeshift apartment on the second floor of their house during filming.
Only a small part of the movie was filmed in Chicago: the airport scenes. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport served as the filming location for both the Chicago and Paris airport scenes, posing as France's Orly Airport.
In fact, the entirety of the movie was shot in Illinois, despite the plot revolving around a trip Kevin McAllister's had taken to Paris. Kevin's visit to Santa's workshop was filmed at Chestnut Court, adjacent to the Winnetka Village Hall, according to the Pioneer Press.
Culkin became a full-fledged cultural phenomenon after the explosive commercial success of his fifth film, 1990's “Home Alone,” which he made when he was just 10 years old. The film grossed $476 million worldwide, due in direct part to his mischievous-yet-vulnerable performance as Kevin McAllister.
So what did Kevin's parents do for a living? It's likely the mom was a fashion designer considering the amount of mannequins in the home. As for the dad, he was likely a regular businessman.
Kevin McCallister's dad, Peter McCallister, based solely on in-unverse information and real world probability, was probably a high level sales executive at Walgreens corporate headquarters in the 80s and 90s.
Overall, Macaulay Culkin does not receive any payment or royalties for his role in the movie "Home Alone" beyond his initial fee for the iconic role. Despite this, he has ventured into other projects and has accumulated significant wealth through his successful acting career post-"Home Alone".
It's reported that Culkin doesn't make any money from the hugely successful Christmas films, as actors are not entitled to any royalties made from the movies. Royalties are only paid to owners of the property, aka the film, and are only given to the actors if it is stipulated in their contracts.
In the conversion calculation from 1990 to 2023, they used CPI figures for each year based on monthly models. According to the report, the McCallister's house which sits 20 miles north of Chicago sold for $875,000 in 1989. It is now estimated to be worth $2,236,000, which represents a 155.5% increase.
The Home Alone house is located in Winnetka, Illinois, about 16 miles outside of the Windy City, and most of the film was shot in that area. The home itself was used for its brick exterior, although the movie also used interior shots in the living room and the foyer's now-famous grand staircase.
Zillow estimates the current off-market value of the home at around $2.34M, slightly lower than the asking price 12 years ago. Still, the economists say, based on that possible asking price, it would only be affordable to those with an even higher household income: $730,000. 671 Lincoln Ave.
