bigger than Ben-Hur

cliché Of or to an extreme or extravagant scale. Referred originally to the 1899 stage dramatization of Ben-Hur, though most commonly used in reference to the 1959 film adaptation. The film has become a worldwide phenomenon, topping the box office week after week. It seems safe to say at this point that it is well and truly bigger than Ben-Hur! Well, lower your expectations, because it's just a play the schoolchildren are putting on. It's not going to be bigger than Ben-Hur or anything. I'd love to throw a party that's bigger than Ben-Hur, but we just don't have the budget for that.