Your guide to watching 'Home Alone' movies in chronological order
The Home Alone franchise, a beloved holiday tradition for many, has graced our screens six times over the years. Each film gives a unique spin to the familiar tale of a young child left alone to defend their home against intruders during the festive season. The series kicked off with Home Alone in 1990 and continued to captivate audiences with its latest installment, Home Sweet Home Alone, in 2021.
'Home Alone' (1990)
The first film in the franchise, Home Alone, was released on November 16, 1990. Directed by Chris Columbus, it narrates the story of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who is accidentally left behind when his family rushes off to a Christmas vacation in Paris. The film follows Kevin as he ingeniously defends their home against two burglars with a series of traps. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards and earned nearly $500 million worldwide.
'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' (1992)
The second installment, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, hit theaters on November 20, 1992. Once again directed by Columbus, the film sees Kevin mistakenly board a flight to New York while his family heads to Florida for Christmas. In the Big Apple, he crosses paths with the same burglars from the first film and must outwit them again. This sequel proved that its predecessor's success was no fluke by becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1992.
'Home Alone 3' (1997)
The franchise's third film, Home Alone 3, was released on December 12, 1997. Directed by Raja Gosnell, it features a new protagonist, Alex Pruitt (Alex D Linz), who is home alone with chickenpox. Unbeknownst to him, his new remote-controlled car has a microchip that can act as a missile cloaking device and is targeted by four criminals. Despite its poor box-office reception and Golden Raspberry nomination, the film has gained a growing fan base over time.
'Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House' (2002)
The fourth film, Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House, was released on November 3, 2002. Directed by Rod Daniel, it returned to the original character Kevin, now played by Mike Weinberg. Here, Kevin spends Christmas with his separated father and must once again use his trap-setting skills to thwart a kidnapping plot. Despite being overlooked due to its straight-to-TV release and lack of involvement from franchise creator John Hughes, it remains an integral part of the series.
'Home Alone: The Holiday Heist' (2012)
The fifth and final installment, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, was released on November 25, 2012. Directed by Peter Hewitt, it features Finn Baxter (Christian Martyn) who moves to Maine from California with his family and thinks their new house is haunted. His efforts to catch the ghosts, however, foil a group of criminals' plans to steal a valuable painting. Although it doesn't feature the McCallisters, this made-for-TV film has references to the original story for die-hard fans.
'Home Sweet Home Alone' (2021)
The latest film in the franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone, was released on November 12, 2021. It follows Max Mercer (Archie Yates) who is home alone while his family goes on a vacation to Japan. When a married couple tries to get an heirloom from his home, Max springs into action to stop them. Notably, this was Disney's pick over an R-rated Ryan Reynolds project Stoned Alone after acquiring 21st Century Fox.
