Macaulay Culkin Net Worth

What Is Macaulay Culkin's Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings?

Macaulay Culkin is an American actor who has a net worth of $25 million. At the peak of his career, Macaulay Culkin was one of the highest-paid and most powerful actors, child or adult, in the entire movie business. We detail his salaries for his most significant films in the next section below.

Macaulay Culkin is one of the most recognizable child stars in Hollywood history, best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster holiday films "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). With his mischievous charm and impeccable comedic timing, he became the highest-paid child actor of his era and a global pop culture icon. Culkin's fame in the early 1990s extended far beyond the "Home Alone" franchise, as he starred in a string of commercially successful and memorable films that cemented his place as one of the decade's biggest stars.

After his breakout in "Home Alone," Culkin appeared in a variety of films that showcased his versatility. These included the John Hughes–penned comedy "Uncle Buck" (1989), the drama "My Girl" (1991), where he played the tragic character Thomas J. Sennett, and "The Good Son" (1993), a psychological thriller opposite Elijah Wood that marked a darker turn in his career. He also starred in "Richie Rich" (1994), further solidifying his reputation as Hollywood's top child actor. By the mid-1990s, however, Culkin stepped away from acting amid intense media scrutiny and disputes within his family, particularly over his earnings and custody.

After a long hiatus, Culkin made a comeback in the early 2000s with appearances in independent projects such as "Party Monster" (2003), where he portrayed real-life club kid Michael Alig, and "Saved!" (2004), a dark comedy in which he played a sardonic, wheelchair-bound student. While these roles earned critical attention, Culkin largely moved away from mainstream Hollywood, instead choosing to pursue a quieter life and creative projects on his own terms. He later co-founded the satirical comedy website and band The Pizza Underground, and in recent years returned to acting with guest appearances in television series like "American Horror Story: Double Feature" (2021).

Macaulay Culkin Salary Per Movie

For his first major movie, 1989's "Uncle Buck," Culkin made $40,000. One year later, he shot into stardom thanks to "Home Alone," for which he was paid $100,000. The film made him a household name, and for the next four years, he was a seven-figure movie star. In 1991, he made $1 million for "My Girl."

In 1992, he earned a base salary of $4.5 million to reprise his role in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." Beyond the base salary, in a 2025 interview, Culkin revealed he also received 5% of the movie's net profits and 15% of merchandising revenue. A 5% cut of Home Alone 2 would translate into an additional roughly $16 million. Add a million or so from the merchandise sales and in total he likely made around $20 million from all sources.

Following this success, he accepted a pay cut down to $1.5 million to appear in the 1993 thriller "The Good Son."

Then, 1994 came, and with it, the peak of Culkin's earning power as a movie star. First was the film "Getting Even with Dad," which earned him $8 million, a sum he earned again for the live-action cartoon adaptation "Ri¢hie Ri¢h."

Altogether, those seven films between 1989 and 1994 earned Culkin a total of $23.5 million, which, after adjusting for inflation, is roughly equivalent to about $50.9 million today.

• "Uncle Buck" (1989): $40,000 (≈ $103,000 today)
• "Home Alone" (1990): $100,000 (≈ $245,000 today)
• "My Girl" (1991): $1,000,000 (≈ $2.35 million today)
• "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992): $20 million (≈ $46million today)
• "The Good Son" (1993): $1,500,000 (≈ $3.33 million today)
• "Getting Even with Dad" (1994): $8,000,000 (≈ $17.3 million today)
• "Ri¢hie Ri¢h" (1994): $8,000,000 (≈ $17.3 million today)

Total without adjusting for inflation: $38.64 million

Earning $38.6 million between 1989 and 1994 is roughly the same as earning about $86.6 million today after adjusting for inflation.

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Early Life

Macaulay Carson Culkin was born on August 26, 1980, in Manhattan, New York City. His father, Christopher Culkin, was a former Broadway actor, and his mother, Patricia Brentrup, worked as a telephone operator. Though his parents never married, they raised seven children together in a small apartment. Macaulay, who was named after British historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, grew up surrounded by his siblings, several of whom would also pursue careers in acting, including Kieran and Rory Culkin.

Culkin was raised Roman Catholic and spent five years attending St. Joseph's School of Yorkville before moving on to the Professional Children's School, a program designed to accommodate young performers balancing education with their careers. From a young age, Macaulay showed a natural stage presence and charisma, and his father's background in theater helped guide him into the entertainment world. By age four, he was already appearing in stage productions and small-screen projects, beginning what would become one of the most remarkable child acting careers in Hollywood history.

Career

Culkin's career began with small roles in theater, television, and made-for-TV movies, but his first major appearance came in 1989's "Uncle Buck," where his performance opposite John Candy caught the attention of audiences and filmmakers alike. Just a year later, he skyrocketed to international fame when he was cast as Kevin McCallister in John Hughes' "Home Alone." The holiday comedy became a global sensation, grossing hundreds of millions worldwide and making Culkin the most famous child actor of his generation. His performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination, an American Comedy Award, and a Young Artist Award.

Culkin quickly became one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, taking roles in "My Girl" (1991), the animated series "Wish Kid," and even hosting "Saturday Night Live." He reprised his role in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), earning a then-record $4.5 million salary, a massive jump from the $110,000 he made for the first film. In 1993, he took on a darker part in the thriller "The Good Son," which earned him an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Villain. He also starred in a filmed version of "The Nutcracker" and a string of films, including "Getting Even with Dad," "The Pagemaster," and "Richie Rich." After the latter underperformed in 1994, Culkin stepped away from acting and enrolled in a private high school in New York, putting his career on hold.

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After Acting Hiatus

Culkin returned to the spotlight in 1998 with an appearance in Sonic Youth's music video for "Sunday," followed by a stage performance in London's West End production of "Madame Melville." His return to film came in 2003 with "Party Monster," in which he played notorious club promoter Michael Alig, a role that showcased his range in a much darker, adult-themed story. The following year, he starred in the cult comedy "Saved!" alongside Jena Malone and Mandy Moore, receiving praise for his sharp comedic timing.

Throughout the 2000s, Culkin explored various creative outlets. He voiced characters on Seth Green's "Robot Chicken," published a semi-autobiographical novel titled Junior in 2006, and appeared in films such as "Sex and Breakfast" (2007) and Adam Green's experimental iPhone-shot project "The Wrong Ferrari" (2011). In 2013, a quirky video of Culkin eating pizza went viral, later revealed to promote his parody rock band, The Pizza Underground. The group toured briefly before disbanding in 2016.

In the late 2010s, Culkin resurfaced with new projects. He co-starred in Seth Green's film "Changeland" (2019) and took a prominent role in "American Horror Story: Double Feature" (2021), marking his most significant television appearance in years. Beyond acting, he launched "Bunny Ears," a satirical lifestyle website and podcast parodying celebrity wellness culture.

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2018 Google Ad Payday

Culkin has also embraced commercial work, most notably in a 2018 Google Assistant advertisement in which he reprised his role as Kevin McCallister, recreating iconic "Home Alone" scenes as an adult. The ad became a viral hit and earned him a reported $1 million.

Personal Life

Mac was previously engaged to Mila Kunis, but they broke it off. He was married to actress Rachel Miner from 1998 to 2002. In 2017, he began dating actress Brenda Song, his co-star in "Changeland." The couple welcomed their first child, Dakota, in April 2021, named after Culkin's sister, who tragically died in 2008. They welcomed a second child in December 2022.

Real Estate

Macaulay owns apartments in New York City and Paris. In 1999, he paid $1.73 million for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom full-floor loft in New York City. He sold this home for sale in January 2025 for $7.75 million.

In August 2022, Song and Culkin paid $8 million for Kiefer Sutherland's home in the Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles. Built in 1935, the 4,879-square-foot home includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and the .6-acre property features a swimming pool, a putting green, and a terrace with a fireplace and pergola. This purchase coincided with the couple selling their single-story home in Los Angeles after listing it for $3.25 million.

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