| 100% | BREAKINGDAWN | 12 | Fourth and final novel in "The Twilight Saga" which was released as a two part movie in 2011: 2 wds. |
| 65% | NEWMOON | 7 | Second novel in "The Twilight Saga" which was released as a movie in 2009: 2 wds. |
| 54% | ECLIPSE | 7 | Third novel in "The Twilight Saga" which was released as a movie in 2010 |
| 44% | JAMESMARSDEN | 12 | "27 Dresses" actor who has acted as Marvel superhero in "X-Men" and was also a part of the DC movie "Superman Returns": 2 wds. |
| 40% | ONEMORE | 7 | "___ Time," 2023 movie about a person stuck in the same day ... which is also a hint for 18a, 30a, 35a, 4d, and 39d: 2 wds. |
| 40% | HOLYGHOST | 9 | Book by John Sandford which was part of the "Virgil Flowers" novel series and became a NYT 2018 Bestseller: 2 wds. |
| 39% | NEVERLET | 8 | "___ Me Go," 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro for which he won the ALA Alex Award and which was also adapted into a movie: 2 wds. |
| 38% | ALICEWALKER | 11 | Author of the 1982 novel "The Color Purple," which was made into a 1985 movie: 2 wds. |
| 37% | INACROWN | 8 | "You Should See Me ___," Billie Eilish song released in 2018 and the title of which was inspired by a scene from "Sherlock": 3 wds. |
| 37% | DRSTRANGELOVE | 13 | Movie subtitled "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," which was released 50 years ago today: 2 wds. |
| 36% | MISTYMOUNTAIN | 13 | "___ Hop" 1971 song by the rock band Led Zeppelin that which was a part of their untitled fourth album: 2 wds. |
| 36% | CORMACMCCARTHY | 14 | Author of the 2005 novel "No Country for Old Men," which was made into a Best Picture-winning movie: 2 wds. |
| 36% | KRISTENSTEWART | 14 | Actress who played a vampire in 2012's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2": 2 wds. |
| 36% | RODERICKTHORP | 13 | Author who wrote "Nothing Lasts Forever," the novel on which movie in 17a was based: 2 wds. |
| 36% | BOOKTHIEF | 9 | Mark Zusak's novel "The ___" which was adapted into a movie: 2 wds. |
| 36% | THEFALLEN | 9 | Thriller novel by David Baldacci which was part of "Memory Man" series and became a NYT 2018 Bestseller: 2 wds. |
| 36% | AMORTOWLES | 10 | "The Lincoln Highway" writer whose novel "A Gentleman in Moscow" was adapted as a Paramount+ series starring 14-Across and 45-Across (2 wds.) |
| 35% | TIMOTHYDALTON | 13 | Actor from "Wuthering Heights", who has played James Bond in two films (as well as a third that was never released) : 2 wds. |
| 35% | DOMEPATROL | 10 | 15a was a part of this four-man linebacking corps known as the best in NFL history: 2 wds. |
| 35% | THEDAVINCICODE | 14 | Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen star in this movie which is based on a Dan Brown novel and is directed by Ron Howard: 4 wds. |
| 35% | APTPUPIL | 8 | Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen star in this movie which is based on a Stephen King novella and is directed by Bryan Singer: 2 wds. |
| 35% | DEVILSADVOCATE | 14 | "The ___," horror movie starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino which released in 1997: 2 wds. |
| 35% | REDSTRING | 9 | A stop-motion-animated-feature film "Blood Tea and ___" which was under production for 13 years before its release in 2006: 2 wds. |
| 35% | ERICHKASTNER | 12 | Author of "Lottie and Lisa" which inspired 29a and a Walt Disney movie of the same name in 1961: 2 wds. |
| 35% | LINDSAYLOHAN | 12 | Actress who starred as both the twins in 29a, a 1998 hit based on the novel "Lottie and Lisa": 2 wds. |
| 35% | SAINTELIAS | 10 | The 4th-tallest peak in North America which is situated on the Yukon and Alaska border and is also known as "Tlingit": 2 wds. |
| 35% | CONNORMCDAVID | 13 | Oilers center who in April 2024 became the fourth player with a 100-assist season (Nikita Kucherov was fifth, two days later): 2 wds. |
| 35% | EASTERNCOUGAR | 13 | A subspecies of puma from North America which was formally declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018: 2 wds. |
| 34% | TOCALIFORNIA | 12 | "Going ___" 1971 ballad written by the rock band Led Zeppelin which was a part of the band's untitled fourth album: 2 wds. |
| 34% | LESMISERABLES | 13 | Victor Hugo's novel which was also adapted into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and has a sentence with 823 words: 2 wds. |