In 2011, Pfeiffer starred in New Year’s Eve, a romantic comedy ensemble film, where she played Ingrid, a frustrated secretary who quits her job and tries to fulfill her resolutions with the help of a bike messenger, played by Zac Efron. The film was a box office success but received negative reviews from critics. She also starred in Dark Shadows, a horror comedy based on the television series, directed by Tim Burton, where she played Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the matriarch of a dysfunctional family who lives with a vampire, played by Johnny Depp. The film received mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office.
In 2013, Pfeiffer starred in The Family, a crime comedy directed by Luc Besson, opposite Robert De Niro. She played Maggie Blake, the wife of a former mobster who is in witness protection and moves to France with her family. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a modest box office success. She also starred in People Like Us, a drama with Chris Pine, where she played Lillian Harper, the mother of a man who discovers that he has a half-sister, played by Elizabeth Banks. The film received positive reviews from critics but was a box office flop.
In 2017, Pfeiffer made a comeback with several acclaimed performances in various genres. She starred in Where Is Kyra?, a drama directed by Andrew Dosunmu, where she played Kyra Johnson, a middle-aged woman who struggles to survive after losing her job and her mother. She received rave reviews for her performance, which was described as “one of the finest and most fearless of her career” by The Guardian. She also starred in Mother!, a psychological horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky, where she played Woman, a mysterious and intrusive guest who invades the home of a couple, played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem.
She received positive reviews for her performance, as well as a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also starred in Murder on the Orient Express, a mystery film based on the novel by Agatha Christie, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. She played Caroline Hubbard, a glamorous and flirtatious widow who is a suspect in a murder case. She received positive reviews for her performance, as well as a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
