Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy’s Netflix hit Genie, Make a Wish leaks on illegal sites — $19M production at risk

Netflix’s shiny new fantasy rom-com Genie, Make a Wish just got its biggest nightmare come true — a full-blown leak. Just days after its much-hyped release, every single episode of the 13-part series mysteriously appeared on illegal streaming sites.

The show, which dropped right before the Chuseok holidays and instantly climbed to No. 1 on Netflix Korea’s “Today’s Top 10,” is no small investment — we’re talking a 2 billion KRW (about $1.48 million) per episode, with lead stars Kim Woo Bin and Suzy reportedly pocketing 300 million KRW (roughly $222,000) each per episode. With hitmaker Kim Eun Sook (of The Glory and Descendants of the Sun fame) behind the script, this was supposed to be Netflix’s crown jewel of the year.

But now, it’s freely streaming on sites that can be found with a quick Google search — a nightmare for Netflix’s global release strategy, which was specifically designed to avoid leaks like this. The entire OTT industry is reeling, especially since other mega-productions like Squid Game 3 and Disney+’s Tempest have also fallen victim to piracy in recent months.

Genie, Make a Wish follows a thousand-year-old lamp genie (Kim Woo Bin) trying to navigate three wishes with an emotionless human, Ga Young (Suzy). Packed with fantasy, comedy, and luxury cameos from Song Hye Kyo and Daniel Henney, it had all the makings of a holiday blockbuster.

Still, the celebration was short-lived. Despite government crackdowns, illegal streaming sites keep dodging the law by constantly changing domains. The damage to K-content is massive — with industry insiders estimating copyright losses from leaks at a staggering 5 trillion KRW (around $3.7 billion USD), according to AllKpop.