If your holiday movie watching includes “Home Alone,” you’ve probably thought about how much money Kevin’s parents make to be able to afford that huge house and take a family of 15 to Paris for Christmas. So many people have wondered about this, the Internet is full of conspiracy theories about what kind of job the dad, Peter McCallister, has, with ideas ranging from being in the mob to being a high-priced assassin.
As you may recall from the 1990 film, the family lives in the wealthy suburbs of Chicago and all 15 extended family members, including Uncle Frank and his clan, are about to fly out to spend the holidays in France. But just how much would the McCallister’s house and that Paris vacation run you?
- The real life property the fictional family lived in is in Winnetka, Illinois, and sold for $875-thousand back in 1989.
- It sold again in 2012, for $1.58 million. And after being newly renovated, the home sold again this year, and it’s now valued at $5.25-million.
- And all those plane tickets would be pretty pricey, too. The cheapest flights on Kayak currently for flights from Chicago to Paris, leaving December 20th and returning December 26th would be around $1,324 for multiple stops and $1,958 for the most direct route.
- But for first-class, the same flight would cost $8,528 for each ticket.
- That means the airfare for the family’s Christmas trip to Paris would run the McCallisters more than $55-thousand.
- So, how could they afford all that? According to the novelization for the film, written by Todd Strasser, the dad is a successful businessman, possibly a day trader, while the mom, Kate, is a fashion designer. Their combined income is estimated to have been about $234-thousand in the 90s, but it would be a lot more today. Kate would probably earn about $77-thousand today, while Peter would have a salary of around $328-thousand.
Source: GoBankingRates
Scott's Thoughts:
- But all that money didn’t help them get back home to their kid any faster!
- Even with a free trip to Paris, Uncle Frank still wouldn’t pay for the pizzas delivered at the beginning of the movie? Talk about ungrateful! Need to NOT invite him next year!
- I don't watch it every year. It was cute at the time, but now I would much rather watch the videos about whether or not you could survive Kevin's traps! Some of my favs below!