| 100% | BINOS | 5 | Whales like the one in "Moby-Dick" |
| 65% | INN | 3 | The Spouter in "Moby Dick," for one |
| 61% | HEIST | 5 | Bank job, like the one in "Ocean's Eleven" |
| 61% | ETS | 3 | Aliens, like the one in a Spielberg movie: Abbr. |
| 60% | SYMBOL | 6 | Icon; like the one in the sky that calls Batman |
| 60% | ETS | 3 | Aliens, like the one in a 1982 Spielberg movie: Abbr. |
| 60% | DEA | 3 | Anti-smuggling agency like the one in "Breaking Bad": Abbr. |
| 59% | TANGOS | 6 | Dances like the one seen in "Evita" |
| 58% | ASTEROID | 8 | Space rock like the one featured in "Armageddon" |
| 57% | INN | 3 | The Spouter in "Moby-Dick," for one |
| 57% | TONYS | 5 | Annual awards ... like the one actor Shalhoub won in 2018 |
| 56% | TWIN | 4 | Like the sisters in "The Shining," for one |
| 56% | EERIE | 5 | Like the vampire film "Let the Right One In" |
| 56% | RURAL | 5 | Like the homes of roughly one in six Americans |
| 55% | HAIKUS | 6 | Japanese poems / like the one used in this clue / a beautiful hint |
| 55% | CAMEO | 5 | Appearance like the ones Alfred Hitchcock made in 40 of his films |
| 55% | TYP | 3 | "Choose the one you like," in textspeak: Abbr. |
| 55% | TAXIS | 5 | Cabs, like the yellow ones in New York |
| 54% | BOP | 3 | Catchy song, slangily, like the ones mentioned in the theme of this puzzle |
| 54% | PTBOATS | 7 | Vessels like the one JFK served on in World War II: 2 wds. |
| 54% | NEAREST | 7 | Like the exit one should leave through in a fire drill |
| 53% | STARBUCK | 8 | First mate of the Pequod in Moby Dick |
| 53% | OBESE | 5 | Like Charlie, in the movie "The Whale" |
| 52% | URN | 3 | Fancy vase, like the Grecian one in a famous 50-Down |
| 52% | ORCA | 4 | Whale found in every one of the world's oceans |
| 52% | META | 4 | Puzzle within a puzzle (like the one in this puzzle) |
| 51% | HAND | 4 | Poker holding ... like the one spelled out in the letters that cut this puzzle's circled cards |
| 51% | ARKS | 4 | Watercrafts like one in the Bible |
| 51% | LAST | 4 | Like one who crossed the line after everyone, in a race |
| 51% | HOMEALONE | 9 | Unaccompanied in one's abode, like in the movie |