# What to watch in NZ this weekend, 7–8 November 2026 Published by The Couch Critic on 7 November 2026. Pick a quiet sci-fi night, a comedy, a family film, a local adventure, or a spy series. NZ subscription and rental availability checked 7 November 2026. Confirm the listing before paying, as catalogues and prices can change. ## Arrival (2016) A quiet sci-fi night. 1h 56m. Prime Video subscription. Choose this when you want to spend the evening working something out. A linguist, played by Amy Adams, is asked to make contact after alien spacecraft arrive on Earth. The useful question for your evening’s choice is how much attention you want to give it. Arrival makes language, memory, and the difficulty of understanding another mind part of its mystery. Give it the longer, quieter slot in your weekend. The tension comes from uncertainty rather than a constant run of action scenes. It is the pick here for viewers who like comparing interpretations afterwards, and a less natural fit for a room where everyone wants to keep chatting. Where to watch in New Zealand: Listed with a Prime Video subscription in New Zealand. Apple TV Store also lists rental and purchase options. [NZ streaming listing](https://www.justwatch.com/nz/movie/arrival-2016) [Current NZ streaming options](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/movie/329865?country=NZ#where-to-watch) ## The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) A brisk, visually busy comedy. About 1h 40m. Disney+ subscription. A compact choice for people who enjoy elaborate plans going wrong. Ralph Fiennes plays Gustave, a hotel concierge whose friendship with lobby boy Zero is swept into a dispute over an inheritance and a stolen painting. Wes Anderson frames the chase through a carefully arranged world of hotel corridors, uniforms, trains, and mountain scenery. Pick this over Arrival when you want a quicker comic rhythm and a lot to look at. The tidy presentation sits alongside a darker story about the world outside the hotel changing. That combination makes it a better adult comedy pick than an automatic choice for a young family. Where to watch in New Zealand: Listed with a Disney+ subscription in New Zealand. [Disney+ NZ listing](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-nz/browse/entity-6a6e4a89-b567-47af-9943-1b5230a2d6cd) [Current NZ streaming options](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/movie/120467?country=NZ#where-to-watch) ## Paddington 2 (2017) A family film with a mystery. 1h 43m. Rent or buy. The family pick when you want jokes, a mystery, and a clear emotional thread. Paddington takes on odd jobs to buy Aunt Lucy a pop-up book, then has to deal with its theft. That small, understandable goal gives the larger comic set pieces something to return to. Hugh Grant’s theatrical Phoenix Buchanan brings a different sort of mischief to the Brown family’s world. This is the easiest starting point in the list for a mixed-age Sunday afternoon. It runs comfortably under two hours and gives younger viewers a concrete mystery to follow. Apple’s NZ listing rates it G; check the listing’s details when deciding what suits your household. Where to watch in New Zealand: Apple TV Store and Amazon Video list rental and purchase options in New Zealand. A separate film payment is required. [Apple TV Store NZ listing](https://tv.apple.com/nz/movie/paddington-2/umc.cmc.6uanyirozllokd56zsopx7no1) [Current NZ streaming options](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/movie/346648?country=NZ#where-to-watch) ## Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) A local comedy with a rough edge. 1h 41m. Rent or buy. Choose the New Zealand bush when you want a change from another city-set story. Julian Dennison’s Ricky and Sam Neill’s Hec become the subjects of a manhunt in Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Barry Crump’s story. The odd-couple setup gives you two very different ways of looking at the same predicament, with the bush making their dependence on each other unavoidable. At 101 minutes, it fits the same evening slot as The Grand Budapest Hotel. Choose it for a local setting and humour built around friction between people. Its warmth comes with grief, coarse language, and some disturbing scenes; the Apple NZ listing carries a PG rating. Where to watch in New Zealand: Apple TV Store and Amazon Video list rental and purchase options in New Zealand. A separate film payment is required. [NZ streaming listing](https://www.justwatch.com/nz/movie/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople) [Current NZ streaming options](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/movie/371645?country=NZ#where-to-watch) ## Slow Horses (2022) A series to start in under an hour. Season 1, episode 1: about 54m. Apple TV subscription. Start with one episode when a whole film feels like too much commitment. River Cartwright is sent to Slough House, a dumping ground for MI5 officers who have made serious mistakes. Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb runs the team. Their damaged professional pride gives the spy plot a different texture from stories about agents who always seem to have the right answer. The first episode is the shortest commitment in this list. Try that before deciding to spend more of your weekend on the series. The appeal is the clash between spy-thriller stakes and an abrasive workplace. Apple’s NZ listing rates the show 16, so this is the adult series option. Where to watch in New Zealand: Listed with an Apple TV subscription in New Zealand. Start at season 1 if you are new to the series. [Apple TV NZ listing](https://tv.apple.com/nz/show/slow-horses/umc.cmc.2szz3fdt71tl1ulnbp8utgq5o) [Current NZ streaming options](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/tv/95480?country=NZ#where-to-watch) ## About these picks These editorial selections cover different moods and viewing lengths. NZ viewing options were checked against TMDB’s JustWatch-powered provider data and the linked NZ listings. Runtimes are approximate and can vary by version. [Source article](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/guides/what-to-watch-nz-7-november-2026) [Streaming comparison guide](https://www.thecouchcritic.com/guides/where-to-watch-compare)