By Charlie Heller, Food & Wine

Fewer people may be going to the movies, but popcorn sales are exploding like, well, popcorn. Between February 2016 and 2017, sales of ready-to-eat popcorn and caramel corn rose 16.9 percent, in what expert corn-poppers are calling a potential “third golden age” of popcorn.

While popcorn is still the most popular food for moviegoers, a spokesman for the National Association of Theater Owners told the Guardian that the snack’s traditional home saw its worst summer box office totals in a decade this year. While this could be an obstacle for the continued rapid growth, it’s possible that newer venues and reasons for consumption of the ancient treat could help make up for it.

While it’s been eaten since the Aztecs were popping corn 4000 years ago, popcorn saw two more recent booms.

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