Drew Barrymore made her film debut in the 1980 American science fiction body horror ‘Altered States’ directed by Ken Russell. The film holds an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 1982, she starred as ‘Gertie Taylor’ in the American science fiction film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ directed by Steven Spielberg. The film opened to universal acclaim and was a massive box office success, grossing over $792.9 million on a $10.5 million budget. It was also added to the National Film Registry in 1994. Barrymore next appeared in films like ‘Firestarter’ (1984), ‘Irreconcilable Differences’ (1984), ‘Cat's Eye’ (1985), ‘See You in the Morning’ (1989), and ‘Far from Home’ (1989). She played the role of ‘Ivy’ in the 1992 American erotic thriller film ‘Poison Ivy’ directed by Katt Shea. The film sits on a 41% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. She was next seen in films such as ‘No Place to Hide’ (1993), ‘Doppelganger’ (1993), and ‘Bad Girls’ (1994). In 1995, she starred as ‘Sugar’ in the Joel Schumacher-directed American superhero film ‘Batman Forever.’ The film opened to a mixed critical reception but managed to gross over $336.6 million at the box office. The following year, Barrymore portrayed ‘Casey Becker’ in the American slasher film ‘Scream’ directed by Wes Craven. The film received positive reviews from critics and performed well at the box office success, grossing over $173 million on a budget of $14–15 million.
She continued to star in films like ‘Best Men’ (1997), ‘Wishful Thinking’ (1997), ‘The Wedding Singer’ (1998), ‘Ever After’ (1998), ‘Home Fries’ (1998), ‘Never Been Kissed’ (1999), and ‘Titan A.E.’ (2000). In 2000, she starred as ‘Dylan Sanders’ in the American action comedy film ‘Charlie's Angels’ directed by McG. The film, despite opening to a mixed reception, was a commercial success and grossed over $264.1 million on a $93 million budget. She next appeared in films such as ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001), ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind’ (2002), ‘Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle’ (2003), ‘50 First Dates’ (2004), ‘Fever Pitch’ (2005), ‘Curious George’ (2006), ‘Music and Lyrics’ (2007), ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ (2008), ‘Whip It’ (2009), ‘Going the Distance’ (2010), ‘Big Miracle’ (2012), ‘Blended’ (2014), ‘Miss You Already’ (2015), and ‘The Stand In’ (2020). In 2020, she launched the American talk show ‘The Drew Barrymore Show.’ The show was renewed for a third season in April 2022. Barrymore last appeared in the 2022 American slasher film ‘Scream’ directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The film received a positive response from critics and grossed over $140 million on a budget of $24 million.