'Home Alone' fans criticise reboot news, but have they forgotten about the terrible sequels?

Home Alone fans are not happy about Disney’s recent announcement of plans to reboot the children’s film for its streaming service.

According to reports, chief executive Bob Iger told investors during a conference call that the plan was to “reimagine” a number of Fox’s titles and the 1990 Christmas favourite was among them.

The original film starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister who has to defend his home from burglars, who call themselves The Sticky Bandits, after his family forgets to bring him on Christmas vacation.

The 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, sees the action move to the Big Apple, after Kevin gets on the wrong flight and has to contend with the same burglars from the original film, as well as a snobby hotel concierge played by Tim Curry.

Some people have taken the news of a reboot pretty badly on social media.

Though it isn’t the first time the Home Alone franchise has been rebooted.

Home Alone 3 was released five years after the second film, and focused on Alex Pruitt (Alex D. Linz) who has to defend himself from four criminals working for a terrorist.

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Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House was a 2002 TV movie which reverted back to the original character Kevin, though he was played by Mike Weinberg and Marv of the Sticky Bandits was played by French Stewart.

The fifth film, that's right, the fifth film Home Alone: The Holiday Heist premiered 10 years later on ABC Family and was the second film not to focus on the McCallisters. Instead, Christian Martyn led the film as Finn Baxter.

None of these Culkin-less instalments earned much critical acclaim so it’s no wonder Disney saw the opportunity to reboot the franchise and restore it to the original’s standard.

The studio has already had significant success with the Star Wars legacy sequels as well as its live-action remakes of its classic animations so maybe Home Alone will enjoy the same sort of acclaim.

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Certainly if Culkin got involved, playing a grown-up Kevin or a new Sticky Bandit, naysayers might get onboard.

As well as Home Alone, Cheaper By The Dozen, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and Night At The Museum will all be rebooted following Disney’s acquisition of Fox earlier this year.

The Disney+ service is due to launch in the US in November, before becoming available in the UK next year.

Additional reporting from PA