I always wipe the disc from the center hub outward, never in a circular motion. I used a paper towel on a lens once and I won't do that again. LOL I suppose you could just dab the disc with a paper towel. These Blu-ray/4K discs *are* touted as scratch resistant after all.
If you're determined to "wash" the disc, use a microfiber cloth to dry it. Remember, paper comes from wood and that's not something you want near a disc or lens surface.
Pixels/freezing were the problem. It was just like some early DVDs. Btw, I've never "washed" a DVD/Blu-ray/4K. I have used moist lens wipes through the years but only when discs have fingerprints and/or excessive dust.
My replacement Poltergeist 4K disc arrived. This one is fine. If you told me back in 1998 that I'd still be dealing with defective movie discs in 2022...