You can now stream SINNERS at home on HBO Max—and it’s making history with Black American Sign Language

This July 4 weekend, you can stream Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS on HBO Max at home—and experience the first major film to feature Black American Sign Language.

Just in time for the holiday weekend, Ryan Coogler’s box office smash SINNERS is now streaming on Max—and it’s doing so while making history. The hit vampire horror film, set in 1930s Mississippi, is the first major movie to be released with a Black American Sign Language (BASL) version on a streaming platform.

“For the first time, the Black Deaf community will have streaming access to a more immersive experience in their language,” Warner Bros. shared in a statement.

The BASL version of SINNERS, released on July 4, joins the original on Max and marks a groundbreaking step in accessibility and representation in Hollywood. The interpreter for this version is Deaf advocate Nakia Smith, who brings cultural fluency and authenticity to the experience.

“Our goal at Max is to make these great stories accessible to all audiences in a way that is authentic to the content and the communities we serve,” said Naomi Waibel, SVP of Global Product Management at Warner Bros. “SINNERS with Black American Sign Language is an example of how culturally nuanced access can enrich the viewing experience.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, and Miles Canton, the film debuted in theaters in April and quickly became one of the year’s highest-grossing releases.

Now, with this streaming release, Max becomes the first major movie and television platform to make Black ASL available in homes.

BASL, like African American Vernacular English (AAVE), is a rich linguistic tradition shaped by history. It developed during segregation when Black Deaf students were separated from white schools—and has continued to evolve with its own grammar, expressions, and cultural flavor.

“Black ASL paints pictures and expresses messages in ways that just bring another layer and another flavor to the whole notion of what Black language is,” said Candas Barnes in an interview with The Language & Life Project.

According to the U.S. Census and The New York Times, Black Americans make up about 8% of the U.S. Deaf and hard of hearing community—and roughly half of them use Black American Sign Language.

With this latest release, SINNERS doesn’t just entertain—it sets a new bar for inclusion, visibility, and respect for the Black Deaf community.