Macaulay Culkin pocketed extra £14,000,000 for Home Alone 2 after securing unique contract clause

Iconic child actor Macaulay Culkin found himself more than £14 million richer after the release of Home Alone 2 due to a unique clause inserted in his contract for the sequel.

Arguably the most famous and successful child star of all time, Culkin starred in the first Home Alone back in 1990 before its successor, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, two years later.

With other films to his name including Richie Rich, he came a certified Hollywood star by the age of 14, before he took a hiatus from acting at the aged 15 returning eight years later.

Home Alone saw the New Yorker star as eight-year-old Kevin McCallister as he defends his family's Chicago mansion from two rather awful criminals known as the Wet Bandits.

Harry and Marv, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, target the McCallister home after the family fly to Paris to celebrate Christmas.

The problem for everyone involved is that Kevin is accidentally left behind by mum and dad Kate and Peter, played by Catherine O'Hara and John Heard. And for those still curious, the reason for him being forgotten about was recently clocked by avid fans.

Macaulay Culkin and brother Kieran both starred in Home Alone (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Home Alone was an instant success, bringing in $476.7 million at the box office during its theatrical run; an amount equivalent to roughly $1.15 billion in 2024 with inflation factored in.

It meant that when discussions started about a holiday-themed sequel to the blockbuster, the actors involved knew their worth more than ever.

That included one half of the Wet Bandits, with Daniel Stern initially rejecting his contract for the film because he felt he was worth more.

Culkin earned $110,000 (£86,500) for the original film; an amount that ballooned to a whopping £5 million (£3.93 million) for the sequel set in New York.

Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone (20th Century Studios)

But his real earnings from the film came after its release, pocketing almost £20 million extra on top of the initial five for the actual acting.

That's because he had a special clause inserted in to his contract for the sequel. And it was all to do with the success of the first film.

According to Stern's new 2024 memoir, Home and Alone, he revealed that Culkin was given five percent of the box office takings for Home Alone 2.

Despite the sequel earning less than the initial film, it still grossed a humongous $359 million (£282.5 million).

Home Alone is a classic (20th Century Fox)

This meant that Culkin's five percent cut of the takings came in at a cool $17.95 million, which equated to £14.1 million.

Inflation factored in, that's worth a whopping £31.71 million in 2024.

Back in the 1990s, Culkin ended up with a trust fund worth $50 million. Operated by his parents, he ended up taking both their names off of it for one very particular reason.