What was it like watching Home Alone at the movie theaters?

I was 9. I saw it twice in the theaters which was a rarity as a kid.

I have never laughed so hard in the theater to this day. It was pure joy.

It was considered a fun holiday movie which would have staying power. It’s maybe a stretch to call it an instant classic, but maybe not.

Honestly, movies were, on the whole, much more enjoyable in that era than they are today. It was expected that you’d like a movie, especially a comedy, that you had liked the trailers for.

Just take a look at the Top 50 movies of 1990! My God, 30 of those films would be nominated for awards if released today. 10 are all-time classics.

1. Goodfellas (1990)

2. Total Recall (1990)

3. Miller's Crossing (1990)

4. Misery (1990)

5. Dances with Wolves (1990)

6. Flatliners (1990)

7. Awakenings (1990)

8. The Freshman (1990)

9. American Dream (1990)

10. Die Hard 2 (1990)

11. Home Alone (1990)

12. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

13. Quick Change (1990)

14. Darkman (1990)

15. The Killer (1989)

16. Days of Thunder (1990)

17. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

18. State of Grace (1990)

19. Wild at Heart (1990)

20. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

21. Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)

22. Ghost (1990)

23. Hamlet (1990)

24. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)

25. Boiling Point (1990)

26. Lord of the Flies (1990)

27. Postcards from the Edge (1990)

28. Back to the Future Part III (1990)

29. Dick Tracy (1990)

30. King of New York (1990)

31. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

32. Berkeley in the Sixties (1990)

33. Pacific Heights (1990)

34. Pretty Woman (1990)

35. Air America (1990)

36. Cadillac Man (1990)

37. Mermaids (1990)

38. Tremors (1990)

39. The Godfather Part III (1990)

40. My Blue Heaven (I) (1990)

41. Cry-Baby (1990)

42. Arachnophobia (1990)

43. Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990)

44. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

45. The Rookie (1990)

46. Flashback (1990)

47. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

48. Kindergarten Cop (1990)

49. Bird on a Wire (1990)

50. Narrow Margin (1990)

I can literally count on my fingers how many movies I've seen in theaters in the last 25 years. But I saw 20/50 in theaters in 1990. A lot of them more than once.

It's never been cheap for tickets/concessions. But I never regretted going like I have the last 4 or 5 times that I've seen one in a theater. Even Flatliners.

I was 6. Remember my Mom and my friend's Mom taking us. Popcorn and icees for us. Laughing alot especially when Harry and Marv were trying to break in the house.

I vaguely remember it because I was baby.

I just remember back then, you walked into a quiet theater with a blank screen (no ads or music playing). Then the previews started.

I saw home alone 2 in theater
The music and New York came alive

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The opening was scary as hell with the old man and the wind. It was absolutely amazing.

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I remember this as well. Funny how those things stick with you. As a kid that scene was so unsettling and eerie but in a cozy, Christmas, I'm sitting next to my mom kind of way...kind of like the beginning of Hook. Such a good memory.

It was amazing. My entire family saw it together on opening night in a packed theater. So much laughter. When a movie is so great, there’s a magic in the theater in knowing what you’re watching will be a timeless classic.

If you saw The Dark Knight in a theater on opening day, Home Alone felt exactly like that.

Saw it in theaters. I was less than 10 years old. It was a fun experience. Packed theater, people of all ages laughing. This and Jurassic Park are the two seminal movie experiences of my youth.