Basketball court, home cinema – but no booby traps: Home Alone house on sale for $5.25m

Cinema fans – and burglars – alert: the home made famous by 1990 film Home Alone is on the market, with a sale price of $5.25m (£4.1m).

The five bedroom, six bathroom mansion at 671 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, Illinois forms the key setting for the bulk of Chris Columbus’s festive hit, as 10-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) fends off the break-in efforts of villains played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, after his parents inadvertently leave him unattended over the holidays.

The house was previously up for sale in 2012, although three years ago Airbnb listed the property for one-night-only stays for fans of the film.

All exterior scenes were shot on location, but the only interiors used were the main staircase, basement, attic and first floor landing.

All other interiors were duplicated on a sound stage; the tree house in the backyard built specifically for the film was dismantled after filming ended.

Since shooting took place, the living space in the house has doubled, with the owners adding a large conservatory and a state-of-the-art basketball court.

The listing describes the property as “one of the most famous houses in the world”, featuring two living rooms, a large kitchen, a three-car garage and the “unforgettable staircase” which Culkin rode down on a sledge.

It is unclear whether any of the house is still rigged to fend off possible intruders; Kevin defeats his enemies by pummelling them with a variety of unexpected missiles, launched from household appliances.

Last year, the house from Halloween went on the market for $1.8m (£1.4m), while the flat above the bookshop from Notting Hill went on sale in 2022 for £2.375m.

Last year, Donald Trump denied claims that he had “bullied” his way into a cameo in the film’s 1992 sequel, saying instead that Columbus “begged” him to do it. Pesci also recently recalled “sustain[ing] serious burns to the top of my head” in a scene in which his character’s hat is set alight.