Her previous film Belle began in June 2014 with £407,000 from 408 cinemas, including negligible previews of £4,000.
Given its wider release, A United Kingdom unsurprisingly achieved the bigger box office: £619,000 (including £54,000 previews), compared to £170,000 (including £42,000 previews) for Paterson.
The JK Rowling-scripted film grossed £8.89m at the weekend, a decline of 42% on the opening frame.
Two new releases targeted the indie market: Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson and Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom.