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"While some companies took advantage of April Fools' Day to troll people for laughs, Sony saw it as marketing opportunity for its upcoming film, This is the End\nA promo for the apocalyptic comedy, starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel and Jonah Hill as on-screen versions of themselves, is disguised as a trailer for Pineapple Express 2 \u2014 the supposed sequel to popular 2008 stoner movie, Pineapple Express.\nThe spot's first minute is shot like an amateur video, leading viewers to suspect that something's awry; then, confirmation around the 1:08 mark: It's an April Fools' prank. For the last 30 seconds, the promo reveals itself as a scene within This is the End.\nJudging by the thousands of hits Pineapple Express 2 has received since going online Monday, Sony's clever marketing ploy \u2014 that is, piggybacking on the original film's considerable fan base \u2014 is a success. \nThis is the End is slated for release this summer. Check out the full trailer, below. \n\nWhat do you think of Sony's April Fools-inspired tactic to promote a film? Tell us in the comments, below.\nScreenshot image and top video courtesy of SonyPictures via YouTube; bottom video courtesy of YouTube, machinima"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/04/02/pineapple-express-2/>