The classic Christmas film, Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin, has become one of the most iconic and successful Christmas movies of all time. The movie primarily follows a young boy attempting to save his house from two burglars. While it has been around for more than 30 years, some questions, particularly related to the McCallisters’ wealth, have intrigued its viewers throughout the decades. And a new report from The New York Times has now revealed how rich exactly was the McCallister family.
How Wealthy Was the McCallister Family in Home Alone?
“That’s the one, Marv. That’s the silver tuna,” is what Harry says to Marv Murchins as the Wet Bandits plan to loot the McCallisters’ house, which they assumed to be filled with “top-flight goods.” However, Home Alone never really delves into just how wealthy the McCallister family was.
According to The New York Times, the home itself is enough to estimate how financially affluent they were. Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago estimated that from 1990 to this day, the property has only been affordable for the top 1 percent of Chicago household incomes.
The economists also determined that the house would have been affordable to a household with an income of $305,000, estimated to be around $665,000 in 2022. Zillow estimated the Home Alone house to be worth $2.4 million in 2022.
Economists claimed that a house of this value would be only affordable to a household with an income of $730,000, again within the top 1 percent of Chicago households. However, another question still persists, how did the McCallisters get so rich?
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What Did Peter And Kate McCallister Do?
The report states the McCallister family was among the top 1 percent of Chicago households. However, the movie does not explain what John Heard’s Peter McCallister and Catherine O’Hara’s Kate McCallister did professionally.
There have been several discussions about Kate being a fashion designer due to the presence of several mannequins in the house that Kevin later uses to pretend that he’s not home alone. While nothing much is available about their jobs, Todd Strasser, who novelized the movie, has shared that he never intended to make the McCallister family “super-rich.”
He also claimed that these aspects never really became a focal point for the story. So, in its official novelizations, he decided to describe Kevin’s mother as a fashion designer and father as a businessman. There have also been discussions about other characters like Uncle Rob.
Uncle Rob is known to pay for the Christmas trip to Paris and also has an apartment in Paris that could house 15 people. However, despite everything, the movie has continued to be a fan favorite and constantly gives joy to its viewers during the holiday season.
Home Alone is available to stream on Disney+.
