Home Alone – in Concert (2021)

Home Alone first hit the cinemas on November the 16th, 1990 and catapulted Macaulay Culkin to popularity. Since then, the story of Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who’s accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against the two Wet Bandits: Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci) and Marv Murchins (Daniel Stern) has become one of the most beloved holiday movies of all times.

Home Alone dominated the box office, being showed in more than 1,200 cinemas and earning over 17 million dollars in its opening week. The modestly-budgeted film held the first spot in the North American box office for 12 consecutive weekends and remained in cinemas for almost 200 days, from November 1990 to June 1991. This has earned the movie the Guinness World record for the highest-grossing, live action comedy in the United States, a record the film held for 27 years.

Screenwriter John Hughes came up with the idea for Home Alone while writing and directing the 1989 film, Uncle Buck. Macaulay Culkin, who started in the movie, inspired Hughes to create the iconic protagonist, Kevin McCallister. Home Alone is praised for its hilarious catchphrases, stunts and mishaps, but the comedic elements of the film are offset by the delightful score that only John Williams could bring to the film. He provides the film with music that is imaginative and memorable, capturing both the energetic nature of the movie and the essence of the holiday spirit.

John Williams has received five Academy Awards and 52 Oscar nominations (making him the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars), seven British Academy Awards, twenty-five Grammys, four Golden Globes, and five Emmys. He has composed music for more than 100 films, including the mail themes used throughout the Harry Potter films. Williams has composed the scores for all nine Star Wars films, Superman, Memoirs of a Geisha and The Book Thief. His 45-year artistic partnership with Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln and The Post.