Why doesn’t Macaulay Culkin act in Home Alone part 3?

Home Alone season 3 did not resonate with audiences, largely because it did not feature Macaulay Culkin or any of the actors from the previous seasons. This has led to a significant decrease in box office revenue compared to the previous two parts.

Macaulay Culkin in the movie “Home Alone” (1990)
It’s no exaggeration to say that Macaulay Culkin was the most famous child star of the early ’90s. After making a memorable impression in the 1989 film Uncle Buck , writer-producer John Hughes cast Culkin in the film’s lead role. 1990 holiday comedy, titled Home Alone . The film grossed over $76 million USD at the worldwide box office. Thanks to the film’s popularity, Macaulay Culkin became a movie superstar at the age of ten.

Culkin continued his success in a number of other films for teenagers such as My Girl , the horror film The Good Son and Home Alone Part 2: Lost in New York. Part 2 of the film was almost as successful in terms of revenue as the first part, grossing $359 million worldwide.

However, by 1994, Macaulay Culkin seemed exhausted. He made 15 films in seven years, pushed relentlessly by his father and manager Kit – whom Culkin described as “abusive”. That’s why Macaulay Culkin decided to take a break from acting so he could live a normal life for a few years.

According to Uproxx, there is already an idea to film a third season of Home Alone. Essentially a reboot of the franchise with a new child star in Alex D. Linz. very dumb. There was also a script for part 3 that would take place in Culkin’s childhood, but Culkin turned it down.

Home Alone  season 3 began filming in 1996, with a script written and produced by John Hughes. But Hughes is the only big name returning for part three. Apparently Culkin, director Chris Columbus, stars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, and composer John Williams did not continue with the third part of the film. Therefore, Home Alone Part 3 is the directorial debut of Raja Gosnell, who edited the  first  two Home Alone films.

Many people blame Kevin not participating in Home Alone 3 for making the movie lackluster and not keeping up with the previous parts. However, Culkin had other plans at the time, following his success as a child actor.

Macaulay Culkin decided to quit acting to pursue hobbies such as painting and writing. This decision also drastically changed the future of the  Home Alone franchise . Although, the actor has not returned to this role since 1992, the movie  Home Alone is still released in 2021, revealing what happened to Kevin McCallister after Home Alone.

Some people believe that Macaulay Culkin stepped back to protect his family. A sign on the film’s young protagonist, Max’s house reads: “Protected by McCallister Home Security,” hinting that Kevin even started his own business.

There’s little doubt that  Home Alone 3 would have been a much bigger box-office success if Macaulay Culkin had returned. Sadly,  Home Alone season 3 without Kevin failed to resonate with audiences. The film only earned $80 million (via Box Office Mojo), a significant decrease compared to  Home Alone Part 2, which grossed $359 million.

That $279 million difference is largely due to the departure of the original cast members. Meanwhile, new faces receive less support from the audience.

Culkin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo: New York Post
The film  Home Alone  is a classic American family comedy film, directed by Chris Columbus and produced by John Hughes. The film was first released in 1990 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, attracting widespread popularity from audiences around the world. Home Alone  is considered one of the classic Christmas movies and continues to be loved by fans to this day.

The story revolves around 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin), who misses his family’s flight for a winter vacation and is forgotten at home when the family arrives in Paris. When he realized he was forgotten, Kevin became the “little boss” of the house and had to face two bad-tempered thieves (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) who were plotting to break into the house. Kevin uses his creativity and intelligence to prepare funny pranks and create breathtaking action scenes to protect the house from intruders.

Home Alone  became a global phenomenon and spawned a series of sequels and remakes. The film scored not only with audiences of all ages but also with film critics. It achieved great commercial success and became one of the most famous Christmas films of all time.

Recently, the US Library of Congress has just approved a list of 25 films selected for the National Film Archives for 2023. Among these, there are famous names such as Home Alone, 12 Years A Slave, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Selected films must be more than 10 years old and are selected based on their cultural, historical or artistic significance, in order to preserve America’s cinematic heritage.