In the early 1920s, popcorn was initially banned from being consumed inside upscale movie theaters because theater owners wanted to cultivate a luxurious, quiet atmosphere mimicking traditional high-end opera houses and legitimate playhouses. Cinema operators feared that the loud crunching sound of eating popcorn would disrupt quiet cinematic moments and that discarded kernels would ruin expensive carpets and rugs. However, this restriction vanished during the Great Depression when theater owners realized that selling affordable popcorn directly to patrons generated vital profits that kept struggling cinemas afloat.