Macaulay Caulkin knows why Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is better than Home Alone... and it's not because of higher stakes or bigger laughs.
"I got paid more," Caulkin hilariously replied, when asked by Hot Ones host Sean Evans. "I think I own five percent of the net. I also 15 percent of the merchandising. So, if you buy a Talkboy, I'm like, 'Yeah, I'll take a percent of that. Thank you very much. By the way, uh, buy a Talkboy this Christmas.'"
Look, if I could buy a Talkboy, I would... but the money wouldn't go to Caulkin. The brand of recorder, used by Caulkin in Home Alone 2 and released as a tie-in with the film, is now defunct as of 1999. So not only was Caulkin paid $4.5 million for the sequel, making him the highest paid child actor in Hollywood history at the time (at just 10 years old), but he also netted 15 percent of some 45 million Talkboys that were sold. So, I understand his answer completely.
The Chris Columbus-directed sequel, which hit theaters in 1992, earned a whopping $356 million at the global box office, against a budget of just $28 million. After starring in several more films, Caulkin was able to retire at the age of 13 in 1994. Because of this, Home Alone 3 was assembled with an all-new cast and premiered in 1997 to a modest box office return. The franchise is still ongoing, however, with the latest installment, Home Sweet Home Alone, hitting Disney Plus in 2021 (and releasing to less-than-favorable reviews).
Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York are streaming now on Disney Plus. For more, check out our list of the best Disney Plus movies and the best Disney Plus shows to stream right now.
