| 100% | SALTBURN | 8 | 2023 thriller in which Barry Keoghan's character becomes obsessed with a fellow Oxford student |
| 33% | BASICINSTINCT | 13 | 1992 erotic thriller in which Michael Douglas plays a San Francisco detective obsessed with a suspect: 2 wds. |
| 27% | VERTIGO | 7 | 1958 thriller in which Jimmy Stewart plays an ex-San Francisco detective with a fear of heights |
| 25% | GRIMACE | 7 | Purple character whose birthday was celebrated with a special McDonald's shake in 2023 |
| 25% | AHAB | 4 | Captain obsessed with a whale in "Moby-Dick" |
| 25% | NET | 3 | “The ___” (1995 Sandra Bullock thriller in which a sun-damaged floppy disk disrupts the protagonist’s life) |
| 24% | ETERNALS | 8 | 2021 superhero movie in which Barry Keoghan played Druig, who manipulates others' minds |
| 24% | SEBASTIAN | 9 | Character with a Jamaican accent in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" |
| 24% | NEMO | 4 | Film character who becomes trapped in a dentist's office |
| 24% | EVITA | 5 | Hit 1979 musical in which a character's mistress is one of the main roles |
| 24% | OTHER | 5 | "Love & ___ Drugs" (2010 film in which Anne Hathaway plays a woman with Parkinson's disease) |
| 24% | BESS | 4 | Opera title character who's initially in a relationship with Crown |
| 23% | ANNIE | 5 | Musical in which FDR is a character |
| 23% | APU | 3 | “Much ___ About Nothing” (“The Simpsons” episode title in which a character’s name replaces 43-Across) |
| 23% | CLASSMAN | 8 | Fellow student in a course |
| 23% | NETFLIX | 7 | Popular service with shows like "The Crown" and "Squid Game" which became a cultural phenomenon after it started streaming in 2007 |
| 23% | RPGS | 4 | Recreation in which players become characters, for short |
| 23% | THEBOOKOFELI | 12 | 2010 thriller in which Mila Kunis played a girl named Solara: 4 wds. |
| 23% | TAR | 3 | 2023 film in which Cate Blanchett plays a world-renowned conductor |
| 23% | LULU | 4 | Opera in which Jack the Ripper is a character |
| 23% | OURTOWN | 7 | Play in which the Stage Manager is a character |
| 23% | DODGEBALL | 9 | Game in which players hit opponents with a ball |
| 23% | FOGS | 4 | Becomes obscure, in a way, with "up" |
| 23% | THEFONZ | 7 | Sitcom character with a leather jacket that's now in the Smithsonian |
| 22% | THEFLY | 6 | 1986 horror film in which a man becomes an insect |
| 22% | SHREK | 5 | 2001 film in which 91-/100-Across is a character |
| 22% | BOWLING | 7 | Game in which you knock down pins with a ball |
| 22% | DECANTER | 8 | Glass bottle with a stopper in which wine is kept |
| 22% | ROO | 3 | Character once stuck in a tree with Tigger |
| 22% | TIGGER | 6 | A.A. Milne's feline character, also friend of 18d, with double "G's" in his name |