Lionsgate Cheaped Out On The Dixie Chicks

Sources tell Page Six that distributor Lionsgate cheaped out when it came to ponying up a “modest” fee for the right to use the Grammy-winning group’s tune, so the song has been axed from the soundtrack - much to the dismay of the filmmakers.

“It’s a total hit song. But Lionsgate couldn’t make a deal. They balked over a low six-figure number,” an insider tells us. The group’s rep Cindi Berger confirmed to Page Six: “Unfortunately, the Lionsgate deal could not get done, so the Chicks decided to keep the song.”

The involvement of the ultra-liberal country cuties - Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison - began when they caught an early cut of the bittersweet drama starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Pena as three Iraq war veterans and the traumas they face returning home. “They totally flipped over it and wrote an original song to be in the movie. Everybody was thrilled,” a source said. “It was going to be all over the movie. And it’s a great song.”

A rep for Lionsgate had no comment.

It’s not as if the studio is hurting for dough. Lionsgate has been riding high with AMC’s smash series “Mad Men” and cash cows such as the “Saw” and “Hostel” horror movie franchises.

The film - directed by Neil Burger, who helmed “The Illusionist” - premiered last night at the Toronto International Film Festival and hits theaters Sept. 26.

Chicks fans shouldn’t be too distraught - the “lost” track is expected to appear on a future CD.

(source)

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