Deep in the magma-filled lava tubes of Nevarro, something with glowing red eyes is frightening the locals, and Din Djarin and Grogu are climbing down to find out what. That is the setup of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu: Nightmare on Nevarro, a Halloween-season comic that went on sale October 21.
Comics step in while the screen future is unclear
Mad Cave Studios and its young readers imprint Papercutz published the one-shot with Lucasfilm Publishing. Delilah S. Dawson wrote it and Alessandro Ranaldi drew it. The story sits between the third season of The Mandalorian and the film The Mandalorian & Grogu, and it follows Danger in the Dark, an earlier comic from the same pair of creators. The official synopsis describes sinister creatures terrorizing the people of Nevarro, with the bounty hunter and his foundling returning to the planet’s lava tubes to uncover the truth. Announcing the release on X, Mad Cave Studios wrote, “This is the Way” to celebrate Halloween season.
The comic arrives while the pair’s future on screen is murky. The Mandalorian & Grogu took in about $345 million worldwide against a reported $165 million budget, which makes it the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars film. It also drew mixed reviews. A fourth season of the series has reportedly been scrapped. Since the film opened in May, though, Din and Grogu have turned up in games, comics and the Disney+ special LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and the film itself is now streaming on Disney+.
The numbers behind the disappointment
The gap looks wider next to another 2026 revival. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot earned $361 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, nearly a fivefold return. Industry rule of thumb says a film must make about three times its production cost before it turns a profit. The Mandalorian film fell well short of that, and MovieWeb reported that $100 million or more went to marketing on top of the budget.
Lucasfilm had a high bar to clear. The film ended a seven-year absence from theaters for Star Wars, after The Rise of Skywalker closed the sequel trilogy in 2019 with $1 billion. The previous record-holder for the franchise’s lowest live-action take was Solo: A Star Wars Story. Disney has not yet approved a second Mandalorian and Grogu film.
Back to theaters
The studio’s next big-screen move is Star Wars: Starfighter, which Shawn Levy directs from a script by Jonathan Tropper, with Ryan Gosling in the lead. It is set about five years after The Rise of Skywalker and opens on May 28, 2027.
Sources
- The Mandalorian and Grogu Make Immediate Return To ‘Star Wars’ Following Box-Office Flop
- Lucasfilm Officially Brings Back Mando and Grogu After Box Office Bomb
- New 95-Minute Action Thriller Reboot Officially Beats $350M 'Star Wars' Movie at the Box Office
Photo: Brandon Russell / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
