Action flicks face off on Friday, as Odeon Films pits futuristic thriller Doomsday, from U.K. ‘splat pack’ director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers), against Never Back Down, from Seville Pictures — while Fox rolls out the Jim Carrey/Steve Carell toon Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!.

Doomsday, about a deadly plague in Britain, bows on 126 screens in Canada, and on nearly 2,000 in the U.S. via Universal Pictures. Never Back Down, about a rebellious teen lured into an underground fight club, will open wider on 207 screens, and on 2,500 south of the border, through indie distributor Summit Entertainment.

Seville is also opening the thriller Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts, on 12 screens, in cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal, while Odeon sister Alliance Films bows the Regina-shot Sleepwalking on three in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Sleepwalking, starring Charlize Theron as a mother who abandons her 11-year-old girl, will expand on March 28. The film is coproduced by Vancouver’s Infinity Features and Los Angeles-based FilmEngine.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Mongrel Media will release the sci-fi comedy CJ7, from Hong Kong writer/director Stephen Chow, on three screens in Vancouver and two in Toronto.

The kids-aimed Horton Hears a Who! also opens Friday from 20th Century Fox, featuring the voices of Carrey and Carell.

TVA Films’ Borderline, fresh off crossing the $1-million mark at the Quebec box office last week, will remain on 33 screens this weekend. The debut feature from Quebec helmer Lyne Charlebois, telling the story of a woman who reflects on her over-indulgences, opened on 41 screens on Feb. 8 and generated nearly $400,000 in its first week.

‘It’s holding pretty well and the word of mouth is great,’ says TVA director of bookings Sylvain Brabant, adding Borderline has performed in line with expectations. TVA is currently looking into an English Canada release.

Christal Films, meanwhile, has set a release date for Young People Fucking, which will bow in theaters on April 18. The comedy, from Vancouver director Martin Gero, delves into the sex lives of four couples.

The well-timed release follows the furor over Bill C-10 — the Tory bid to deny tax credits to films and TV shows it deems offensive — which was apparently sparked by the film’s high-profile premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The bill will be back in the news in April, when it goes before the Senate banking committee.