From Tim Curry to Donald Trump, the Home Alone franchise has featured appearances from a whole host of famous faces, but fans have gone wild after spotting Scarlett Johansson in one of the festive films.

Home Alone 3 follows eight-year-old Alex Pruitt as he defends his home from a dangerous group of criminals.

In the movie, Alex is given a remote-control car for helping his neighbor, Mrs Hess, shovel snow from her driveway.

But little does he know, the toy car contains a top-secret computer chip.

He then has to fend off thieves who are trying to acquire the chip that they intend to use to help a terrorist organization.

The third instalment in the festive film trilogy was met with mixed reviews, with critics finding fault with its departure from its predecessor’s cast and themes.

But, while Home Alone 3 viewers won’t get to see Macauley Culkin in action against the Wet Bandits, the movie does feature another famous actor.

Long before her days starring as Marvel’s Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson played Alex’s older sister, Molly Pruitt, when she was just 11-years-old.

Fans were shocked to learn that Black Widow actress, Scarlett Johansson started in the third Home Alone movie. Credit: 20th Century Fox

And fans have gone into meltdown over the realization that the now 39-year-old featured in the classic festive franchise.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), one person wrote: “How the hecking HECK did I not know Scar Jo is in Home Alone 3??????”

Another said: “Holy s***…Scar Jo was in Home Alone?….Wow.”

A third commented: “Scar Jo is in Home Alone 3 and my mind is blown.”

And a fourth added: “How did I just a realize say Scar Jo was the sister in Home Alone???”

But, it turns out film fans weren’t the only ones who didn’t recognize Johansson right away. The actress’ daughter also didn’t her famous mom in the movie.

Johansson was 11 years old when she played Molly Pruitt, the older sister of the film’s protagonist. Credit: 20th Century Fox

During a 2021 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, she shared how she had never intentionally shown her daughter the film, but it naturally came on around Christmas time.

She said: “Of course, naturally we did Home Alone. And I happened to be in the third Home Alone movie, and so I didn’t say anything to her because I thought she would make a big deal out of it.”

A then six-year-old Rosie didn’t even recognize her mom at first.

“I had to really, like, [say], ‘See who that is?’ She’s like, “Whatever. Is that you?“ I was like, ‘It’s me, your momma.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, OK. Whatever.’”