Synopsis

When a stolen military computer chip is accidentally hidden inside a toy car, international thieves track it to a suburban neighborhood. The toy reaches Alex Pruitt, an eight-year-old recovering from chickenpox at home. After noticing suspicious activity nearby, Alex uses household gadgets, elaborate traps, and his ingenuity to protect the neighborhood and outwit the criminals.

Factoids & Trivia

• Unlike the first two films, this installment follows a new family and a new child protagonist rather than Kevin McCallister. The change followed Macaulay Culkin's absence from the project.

• John Hughes returned as the screenwriter and producer, preserving the series' basic formula while moving the story to a different suburban household.

• Principal photography took place from December 2, 1996, through March 22, 1997. Filming locations included Evanston, Illinois, where several houses on Normandy Place were used for the Pruitt residence and neighboring homes.

• The film was released theatrically in the United States on December 12, 1997.

• Home Alone 3 earned approximately $79.1 million worldwide against an estimated $32 million budget. It was commercially successful, though its reception was considerably less enthusiastic than that of the first two films.

• Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and praised its gentler tone and child-focused wish fulfillment, making his review one of the more favorable contemporary responses.

• The film was followed by Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House, a television sequel released in 2002.