What is Macaulay Culkin's net worth? Here's why 'Home Alone' star did not return for final films in franchise
There's something extremely nostalgic about Catherine O'Hara screaming "Kevin!" with utter shock and concern at the top of her lungs that just resonates with the Holiday season. As Christmas 2020 draws near, 'Home Alone' continues to brave the test of time as the ultimate movie of the season, and although the franchise went on to dish out three more films after Macaulay Culkin quit the leading role, it is the initial protagonist everyone remembers and adores to this day.
That really brings to mind just how much the now 40-year-old star's net worth is, given he is the Maria Carey of the film industry come every Holiday season According to Celebrity Net Worth, Culkin stands at a whopping £13 million as of now. The star himself has also addressed his net worth in his lifestyle website, where he, or presumably a staff writer, notes that he spends most of it in pursuing a lifelong passion: catching butterflies.
Culkin, who was a tabloid favorite for his past struggles with substance abuse, recently gave his fans a reality check on his 40th birthday, where he was slumped on his couch with his favorite junk food, reiterating that this is what the highly anticipated true to life 'Home Alone' reboot would look like. The post seemed like a fair nod to the franchise that soared him to incredible popularity overnight when the first film had released in 1991.
The immediate hit was followed by a sequel featuring a cameo by current POTUS Donald Trump, just a year later, in 1992. The sequels followed all the way till 2012 until a fifth installment was released, but Culkin did not resume his role following the second movie. Instead, he began pursuing other roles, starting with the tear-jerker children's movie, 'My Girl', which is still touted as one of the most heartbreaking on-screen portrayals of love and relationships.
Still, a lot of people wonder why Culkin did not return for the third 'Home Alone' movie, as that would have probably redeemed it from being a disappointment to many. But the reason behind his absence from the role was simply that the actor took a break from the profession for a solid decade or so, starting in 1994. The script for 'Home Alone 3' was written with a teenage Kevin McCallister in mind, but Culkin was already on his acting break by the time the franchise was revived in the mid-90s.
Culkin returned to the screens with the 2003 film 'Party Monster' that opened to mainly negative reviews from critics and audience alike. With only a limited release following its Sundance Film Festival premiere, according to Box Office Mojo, the film only grossed $742,898 domestically out of a budget of $5 million in its theatrical release.
The year 2004 was marred with crisis for the actor as he was arrested for drug possession and received three one-year suspended prison sentences and was ordered to pay $540 in fees.
Following that, Culkin returned to entertainment and dabbled in voice acting. He and also published an experimental, semi-autobiographical novel titled 'Junior' about his stardom and shaky relationship with his father, in the year 2006. And in 2013, Culkin even debuted his New York-based, pizza-themed comedy rock band 'The Pizza Underground', which split up three years later in 2016.
These days Culkin is known as a web content creator after he launched a comedy website and podcast called 'Bunny Ears' in January 2018, where other celeb websites like Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop are parodied. He is currently in a long-term relationship with Brenda Song, whom we might remember as the ditzy London Tipton from Disney Channel's 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'.