Chris Columbus, the director of the beloved 1990 classic Home Alone and its immediate sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has made it clear he doesn’t think the franchise should continue with another sequel or reboot. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Columbus dismissed the idea of revisiting the story decades later, saying the original film captured a unique moment that simply can’t be recaptured. “I think it’s a mistake to try to go back and try to recapture something we did 35 years ago. I think it should be left alone,” he said when discussing the possibility of a new installment.
Columbus emphasized that the charm and success of Home Alone came from a combination of the timing, cast, and cultural context that can’t be recreated now. The original movie became a massive box office hit and a holiday staple, but subsequent entries in the franchise — which include Home Alone 3 and other sequels without Columbus, Macaulay Culkin, or the original creative team — have failed to win the same affection from audiences and critics alike. For Columbus, that history reinforces his view that trying to “update” or continue the series risks diminishing what made the first films so enduring.
His comments come amid occasional fan and industry chatter about legacy sequels or reboot ideas — including recent remarks from original star Macaulay Culkin about a potential follow-up featuring an adult Kevin McCallister, but Columbus remains firmly skeptical. He argues that unless the original cast and creative sensibilities could truly be brought back together, it’s better to leave the franchise where it stands rather than pursue another installment that might tarnish its legacy.
