Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon and talk show queen Oprah Winfrey are headed to New Zealand.

They're destined for Queenstown on a two-week filming trip.

Local Mayor Jim Boult said it was an "enormous opportunity for free marketing." 

"If we were to going to buy this sort of publicity, it would cost millions." 

The two stars are set for a fortnight of shooting on location near Lake Hawea in central Otago on a $143 million movie called A Wrinkle in Time, made by a company owned by Disney.

The celebrities will be housed at a private residence in Wanaka, with the filming at Hunter Valley Station, which is close to Lake Hawea.