| 100% | SAMRAIMI | 8 | Director of 31-/48-Across who also directed the 2002-2007 "Spider-Man" films: 2 wds. |
| 51% | SPIKEJONZE | 10 | "Her" director who also directed the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice": 2 wds. |
| 51% | ZACKSNYDER | 10 | Director of 32-Across, who also directed "Man of Steel": 2 wds. |
| 51% | RUPERTSANDERS | 13 | Director of the "Ghost in the Shell" movie, who has also directed "Snow White and the Huntsman" previously : 2 wds. |
| 49% | ROBERTZEMECKIS | 14 | Oscar-winning director of "Forrest Gump" who also directed "Romancing the Stone": 2 wds. |
| 45% | DAVIDFINCHER | 12 | "Gone Girl" director who also directed the music video for Madonna's "Vogue": 2 wds. |
| 44% | ANDYMUSCHIETTI | 14 | Director of "It Chapter Two" who also directed "It" and "Mama": 2 wds. |
| 44% | ROBZOMBIE | 9 | Director of the 2007 remake of 15-Across: 2 wds. |
| 42% | MARIOPUZO | 9 | American author of "The Godfather" who also wrote the screenplay for 1978 film "Superman": 2 wds. |
| 42% | DANNYDEVITO | 11 | Director of the 1996 film "Matilda": 2 wds. |
| 42% | ROBREINER | 9 | Director of 33-Across who will write a foreword for the book by 15-Across: 2 wds. |
| 42% | MIKENICHOLS | 11 | New Hollywood director of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" who won the Best Director Oscar for his second film, "The Graduate": 2 wds. |
| 41% | GEORGELUCAS | 11 | Director of the film mentioned in 16a: 2 wds. |
| 41% | WESANDERSON | 11 | Director of the 2009 film "Fantastic Mr. Fox" : 2 wds. |
| 41% | RICHARDDONNER | 13 | "The Goonies" director, who also directed "Superman" and "Lethal Weapon": 2 wds. |
| 41% | SYDNEYPOLLACK | 13 | "Out of Africa" Oscar-winning director who directed 31-Across (2 wds.) |
| 40% | BAZLUHRMANN | 11 | Australian director of 19- and 33-Across who's known for films with pop music soundtracks: 2 wds. |
| 40% | TIMBURTON | 9 | Director of the 2005 film "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory": 2 wds. |
| 40% | RIANJOHNSON | 11 | Director of the 2022 Benoit Blanc mystery film "Glass Onion": 2 wds. |
| 40% | FREDZINNEMANN | 13 | Director of "High Noon" (who won two Oscars, for directing "A Man for All Seasons" and "From Here to Eternity"): 2 wds. |
| 39% | NICKCASSAVETES | 14 | Director of "The Notebook," whose father directed "A Woman Under the Influence": 2 wds. |
| 39% | FRANKDARABONT | 13 | Director of "The Mist" and "The Green Mile" who developed 25-Across: 2 wds. |
| 39% | VICTORFLEMING | 13 | Director of the 1939 epic historical romance film "Gone With the Wind": 2 wds. |
| 39% | JONATHANDEMME | 13 | Director of the Oscar-winning psychological thriller film, "The Silence of the Lambs": 2 wds. |
| 39% | DEMME | 5 | Ted —, director of films Life, The Ref and Blow who died in 2002 |
| 39% | GEORGEMILLER | 12 | Director whose birthday it is today, who directed the 1979 film "Mad Max": 2 wds. |
| 39% | VICTORFLEMING | 13 | Director of the eight starred films in this puzzle, who was born on 2/23/1889 |
| 38% | CHLOEZHAO | 9 | "Songs My Brothers Taught Me" writer/director who directed the 2020 film adaptation of 45-Across by 29-Across (2 wds.) |
| 38% | JENNOTOPPING | 12 | Co-producer of the film "Underwater" who also produced the 2000 film "Charlie's Angel": 2 wds. |
| 38% | RICHARDGERE | 11 | "Chicago" actor who starred in the 1980 film titled 31-Across: 2 wds. |